Alannah Weston has been the chairman of the British department store chain Selfridges since 2019. Prior to this she served as the deputy chairman of Selfridges Group from 2014. She also previously served as the creative director of Selfridges since the Weston family bought it in 2003.
She is credited with reinvigorating the store and elevating the store’s events. Selfridges has been voted the ‘World’s Best Department Store’ by the International Association of Department stores four times during Weston’s tenure.
Her family’s ownership of Selfridges led many to view Weston’s appointment with scepticism; however, she has proved her critics wrong. Her creative directorship redefined Selfridges’ role in London’s retail landscape, ushering in an increase in sales of over 50 percent. For the first time, in 2012, sales exceeded £1 billion.
As chairman, Weston has worked with the Selfridges leadership team to embed sustainability in its business plan. She is credited with playing a pivotal role in launching Project Earth in 2020, which commits to placing sustainability at the heart of the business. This is underpinned by the company’s commitment to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, in line with the Paris Agreement. Weston has also led the retailer’s sustainability strategy with the launch of Project Ocean in 2011 – with a store takeover to raise awareness of the issue of overfishing and ocean pollution.
Entertainment, interaction and spectacle are very much part of her vision. “People now have so much choice – sports events, museums, theatres, these are all our competition. They want intellectual, cultural and, yes, spiritual nourishment. They don’t just want to buy things.”
Weston previously worked as a journalist at The Daily Telegraph and has written for Tatler and British Vogue. She has also worked at Burberry as head of press.
She is married to Alexander Cochrane an architect; the couple has two daughters.
