Selfridges has appointed its first head of product and data in a new consolidated leadership role, combining oversight of digital experiences, omnichannel retail technology, CRM platforms, and enterprise data ecosystems as it seeks to get ever closer to its customers.
Simon Wallbank joins from Holland & Barrett where he spent almost eight years, most recently as vice president of product (commercial, supply chain and seller experience). Prior to that, Wallbank held senior roles at Wickes, Asda, Somerfield and KwikSave.
Founded in 1909 by American retail magnate Harry Gordon Selfridge, the retailer revolutionised British shopping by turning the experience into a form of leisure, operating under the motto “everyone is welcome”. Today, the business has four prime locations in major UK hubs, London, Manchester and Birmingham, and is owned by a strategic partnership of Thailand’s Central Group and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
Selfridges anchors its customer engagement strategy around Selfridges Unlocked, an in-house loyalty and membership programme launched in 2023. Instead of traditional transaction-only discounts, the CRM framework rewards members for both spending money and spending time in-store through dining, events, and beauty services.
Members collect keys via app engagement and physical store visits, tracking participation rather than just purchase value. Collecting milestones elevates members to status levels like “VSP” (Very Selfridges Person) for premier access.
Campaigns rely on close cooperation between data analysts, trade teams, and creative departments using platforms like Salesforce Marketing Cloud.
Chief operating officer Leonie Foster leads the broader commercial initiatives, while chief technology officer Ross Beaumont overseas the entire digital infrastructure and tech architecture across the brand.
On LinkedIn, Wallbank said: “There are some interesting parallels between Selfridges and Holland & Barrett two businesses. Both are iconic British brands with huge histories and incredibly loyal customers, and both are navigating how to take that heritage forward while evolving how they serve and engage with their customers. That feels like a pretty exciting challenge… There is a lot to do, and I’m under no illusion that it will be easy. But that’s exactly what attracted me to it.”
“I’m looking forward to getting stuck in, meeting the teams, understanding the problems and working out where we can make the biggest difference for our customers, colleagues and the business. Harry Gordon Selfridge once said: ‘The room for improvement is still the biggest room in the world’. I think that’s a pretty good philosophy to take into any new job. New chapter. Same obsession with making things better. Let’s see what we can do.”
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