BEHIND THE BRAND FORTNUM & MASON

Bolstered by dynamic advertising and no small amount of innovation, it's little surprise that 'the world's most famous cornershop'is still going strong after more than 300 years

- POPPY BENNER

Fortnum & Mason's association with the monarchy is nestled somewhere in the subconscious - it's an intrinsic part of the company's history that has helped to establish its reputation as a luxury brand. The relationship goes right back to the company's foundation over 300 years ago, when William Fortnum was a footman at the court of Queen Anne. One of the perks of Fortnum's job was to empty the half-burned candlesticks and take the leftover wax home, where he remelted them and resold them to ladies of the court. Hugh Mason, meanwhile, had already started up his small grocery store in Duke St, St James's Market, when he met William Fortnum and became his landlord. With William's palace connections, Mason found himself in an excellent position to sell commodities to the gentry and aristocracy and, by 1707, Fortnum & Mason had been established.

In 1840, William's great-grandson, Richard Fortnum, ploughed the company's profits into the new building at 181 Piccadilly, where the shop stands today. With its elegant fanlights and decoration, the designers of the building were deliberately inviting women customers inside to look at the wares on show,' says Dr Andrea Tanner, Fortnum & Mason's archivist. Its innovative use of plate glass windows - only invented three years earlier - further encouraged customers to experience the wonders within and became an important part of Fortnum's advertising strategy, especially at Christmas. During the 1860s, displays included a live turtle in a tank (to show that the turtle soup was made from real turtles!) and a rose-tinged honey, backlit by the windows, that was specially produced using a method that didn't kill the bees. 'It's an interesting building,'adds Andrea. It looks old-fashioned but is very modern; a theme of Fortnum & Mason.'