Who is Mary Portas?
Retail expert Mary Portas is probably the UK's foremost authority on retail and brand communication. As founder of one of London's most respected retail and brand communication agencies, Yellowdoor, Mary is recognised throughout the trade as the 'queen of shops'.
Having begun her retail career as a Saturday girl in John Lewis, Mary later became responsible for windows and display at Harrods and then Topshop. She went on to join Harvey Nichols in 1989 and is credited with transforming the brand into the world-renowned store and restaurant group it is today.
Mary saw a need for integrated and creative brand communication in the retail, fashion, luxury and beauty sectors, and this prompted her to launch Yellowdoor. Under her guidance, Yellowdoor has created campaigns for a wide range of brands on the high street including Clarks, Louis Vuitton, Oasis, Swarovski, Dunhill, Boden, Thomas Pink, Westfield London, and Patek Philippe.
Mary's first book Windows: The Art of Retail Display, published in five languages, quickly became the worldwide authority on window display. In 2007, Mary's second book How to Shop was published, offering a 21st-century guide to retail therapy.
In 2005 Mary was commissioned to write a weekly feature in the Saturday Telegraph Magazine - Shop! - reviewing the state of the nation's shops. Mary now leads the panel judging the annual Telegraph Best Shops in Britain Awards, and her column has become one of the retail industry's (and disgruntled shopper's) definitive reads.
The beginning of Mary's television career came in 2007 with the launch of the BBC2 series Mary Queen of Shops. The show took Mary behind the scenes of the fashion retail world, challenging her to rescue a series of failing independent boutiques. A second series aired in 2008 and Mary was nominated for two Royal Television Society Awards.
This was followed in 2009 with the series Mary Queen of Charity Shops. Mary donned a Save the Children tabard, taking the charity's worst performing store - Orpington - and transforming it into its best. She has since become the Global Retail Ambassador for Save the Children and has pioneered a new type of charity shopping with her 'Living & Giving' concept - recently opening her third permanent Living & Giving Shop in London's Primrose Hill.
On 19 June 2009, Herriot-Watt University awarded Portas a Doctorate of Letters in recognition of her career and her contribution to the advancement of marketing and brand communication within the retail sector.
In January 2011, Mary made the move to Channel 4 with a brand new series Mary Portas: Secret Shopper where she took some of the nation's biggest retailers to task over their lack of customer service culture. The series saw Mary don a wig and costume to go undercover to see for herself the way that customers are routinely treated by the big brands.
In May 2011 Mary was commissioned by Prime Minister David Cameron to lead an independent review into the future of the high street. She begins her brand new Channel 4 series, Mary Queen of Frocks, on Tuesday 4 October 2011.
