Alannah Weston
Former chair of Selfridges Group
Alannah Weston is an Irish and Canadian retail executive who shaped Selfridges as its creative director from 2004 and later chaired Selfridges Group from 2019 until its sale in 2022. She is credited with defining the London department store's reputation for creative campaigns and experiential retail.
| Role | Former chair of Selfridges Group |
|---|---|
| Organisation | Selfridges Group (until 2022) |
| Born | 1972, Dublin |
| Creative director of Selfridges | From 2004 |
| Chair | 2019 to August 2022 |
| Known for | Experiential department store retail |
Who is Alannah Weston?
Alannah Weston, born in Dublin in 1972, is a member of the Weston family whose holding company, Wittington Investments, owned Selfridges Group for many years. She spent nearly two decades at Selfridges, first as creative director of the London department store and later as deputy chair and chair of the wider group, which included Brown Thomas in Ireland, de Bijenkorf in the Netherlands and Holt Renfrew in Canada.
Career
Weston studied English literature at Merton College, Oxford, and began her career as a journalist at The Daily Telegraph, Tatler and British Vogue. She then moved into fashion communications:
- 1999: joined Burberry as head of press
- 2001: set up the design agency Zephyr Projects
- 2004: creative director of Selfridges
- 2014: deputy chair of Selfridges Group, providing strategic advice and creative counsel across the group
- 2019 to August 2022: chair of Selfridges Group, stepping down on its sale to Central Group and Signa
When she became deputy chair in January 2014, she was succeeded as creative director of the department store by Linda Hewson. She has also served on the board of George Weston Limited since 2016 and is a director of Wittington Investments.
Influence on the fashion business
As creative director, Weston was closely associated with the idea that a department store should be a cultural destination as well as a place to buy. Selfridges under her creative leadership became known for ambitious window displays, themed store wide campaigns and partnerships with artists and designers, an approach that influenced department stores internationally.
As chair, she oversaw a portfolio of leading department stores in four countries until the group was sold to Thailand's Central Group and Austria's Signa Holding in 2022, ending the Weston family's ownership.
Why it matters
Alannah Weston's career shows the value of creative direction at retailer level, not only at fashion houses. Her work at Selfridges helped establish the experiential department store model that many retailers have since tried to emulate, and her move from journalism and brand communications to group chair is an unusual path to the top of a major retail business.
For fashion brands, Selfridges under her leadership was a sought after London platform for launches and collaborations, giving labels from established houses to emerging designers a highly visible showcase in one of Europe's busiest shopping streets.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Alannah Weston?
Alannah Weston is an Irish and Canadian retail executive who was creative director of Selfridges from 2004 and chair of Selfridges Group from 2019 until its sale in 2022. She previously worked as a journalist and as head of press at Burberry.
What is Alannah Weston known for?
She is known for shaping Selfridges' reputation for creative campaigns, window displays and experiential retail, and for chairing the Selfridges Group of department stores until 2022.