Fortnum & Mason, often shortened to just "Fortnum's" is a department store and Royal Warrant holder, situated in central London, with two other branches in Japan. Its headquarters are located at 181 Piccadilly, where it was established in 1707 by William Fortnum and Hugh Mason. It is privately owned by Wittington Investments Ltd.
Fortnum and Mason is recognised internationally for its high quality goods and as an iconic British symbol. It has held many Royal Warrants over the past 150 years.
Founded as a grocery store, Fortnum's reputation was built on supplying quality food, and saw rapid growth throughout the Victorian era. A venture into the US in the 1930s ended in failure, with the company's flagship store on Madison Avenue closing almost as soon as it opened. Though Fortnum's developed into a department store, it continues to focus on stocking a variety of exotic, speciality and also 'basic' provisions. It is also the location of a celebrated tea shop.
History
In 1761, William Fortnum's grandson Charles went into the service of Queen Charlotte and the Royal Court affiliation led to an increase in business. The store began to stock speciality items, namely ready-to-eat luxury meals such as fresh poultry or game served in aspic jelly.
During the Napoleonic Wars, the emporium supplied dried fruit, spices and other preserves to the British officers and during the Victorian era it was frequently called upon to provide food for prestigious Court functions. Queen Victoria even sent shipments of Fortnum and Mason's concentrated beef tea toFlorence Nightingale's hospitals during the Crimean War.
Charles Drury Edward Fortnum F.S.A. (1820–1899), of the family, was a distinguished art collector and a Trustee of the British Museum, to which he donated his collection of Islamic ceramics.
In 1851 Fortnum & Mason first created the Scotch egg and in 1886, after having bought the entire stock of five cases of a new product made by a Mr H.J. Heinz, became the first store in Britain to stock tins of
The store was acquired by Canadian businessman W. Garfield Weston, who became its Chairman. In 1964, he commissioned a four-ton clock to be installed above the main entrance of the store as a tribute to its founders. Every hour, 4-foot-high (1.2 m) models of William Fortnum and Hugh Mason emerge and bow to each other, with chimes and 18th century-style music playing in the background. Since Garfield Weston's death in 1978, the store has been run by his granddaughters, Jana Khayat and Kate Weston Hobhouse and the Managing Director is Beverley Aspinall.
The store underwent a £24 million refurbishment in 2007, celebrating 300 years of existence.
Hampers
Fortnum & Mason is famed for its loose-leaf tea and its world-renowned luxury picnic hampers, which the store first distributed to Victorian High Society for events such as the Henley Regatta and Ascot Races. These hampers — which contain luxury items such as Stilton cheese, champagne, Quails eggs andsmoked salmon — remain popular today, especially at Christmas time and can cost (as of 2008) anything from £35 up to £25,000.
Competition
Main competitors of Fortnum & Mason on the worldwide gourmet and luxury food products scene include Harrods and Harvey Nichols in London, Bettys and Taylors of Harrogate in the north of England, and Mariage Frères, Dammann Frères, Kusmi Tea, Hédiard, and Fauchon in Paris.
Fortnum & Mason
Fabulous for Food, Drink & Celebration! We are delighted to launch the new Fortnum & Mason affiliate programme with Linkshare. At Fortnum & Mason’s online store you can experience the unique shopping experience of Fortnum’s London, filled with hundreds of wonderful gifts and our world famous hampers, together with food, wine and accessories. There is nothing quite like Fortnum's…
About Fortnum's
Fortnum & Mason, established 1707 in Piccadilly London, is one of the world's finest stores renowned for wonderful hampers and a legendary Food Hall. In the Piccadilly store you will find everything you need: with five wonderful restaurants, Beauty à la Carte, our luxurious beauty rooms in the heart of town, and six floors with everything from food, wine, accessories, gifts and hampers. You can shop from Fortnum's famous store online at www.fortnumandmason.com - where you will find the wonderful new Christmas collection of hampers, gifts, food and wine available now.
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