ARDEX Completes Selfridge’s Food Hall Refurbishment

Selfridges, founded in 1901 by Harry Gordon Selfridge, is regarded as one of the world’s finest department stores and is named as one of the top 100 stores to visit in the world.  It offers a huge array of services, from fashion and wedding lists to a world-famous dining experience in the Food Hall.  With over 200 million people visiting Oxford Street per year, Selfridge’s flagship store is inundated with customers and required a much needed refurbishment to its Food Hall to maintain its exceptional standards of service as an iconic London attraction.

The Food Hall caters for all shoppers and offers a variety of edible treats from top-end niche products to staple goods.  To maintain its high standards and to provide an updated look, Selfridges made the decision to refurbish the Food Hall’s stunning marble floor and eye-catching glass lift.

Stone and floor contractor, Henny Ltd were appointed to lead the project, and Matthew Pearson, Managing Director said, “Having worked closely with ARDEX for many years on several major retail projects, it seemed ideal to collaborate on this refurbishment.  We have come to know ARDEX products well and are often advised by Paul Forrester, ARDEX Business Development Manager on flooring and tiling specifications across all areas.” 

The existing floor involved the removal and replacement of vinyl flooring and moisture-damaged screed, and Paul Forrester, Business Development Manager at ARDEX explained,“After visiting the site we compiled a specification and list of products based on proven systems in order to meet the requirements of the project.  Conventional screeds can take months to dry, so a product such as ARDEX A 38 was ideal for this project, as it allowed the next stage of the flooring installation to commence in just 4 hours, adhering to Selfridges tight time constraints.”

ARDEX A 38 is an Ultra Rapid Drying Cement for Internal and External Screeds.  Incorporating ARDEX’s unique RAPIDRY PLUS FORMULA. the product can be walked on in 3 hours, and tiled in just 4 hours.

Paul continues “Because the floor didn’t have an effective damp proof membrane in place, there was extensive moisture damage to the existing screed, the use of ARDEX DPM 1 C, was the ideal solution because it can be applied where a structural damp proof membrane is not present or is ineffective, and protects the final floorcovering from residual construction moisture and rising damp.”

Matthew explains, “The entire refurbishment was completed swiftly within a tight time frame. This was only achievable due to the speed and reliability of ARDEX fast track products, essential  when working in a live environment like Selfridges that has to be ready for the public each morning.

Matthew concluded “Once again, we were delighted with the ARDEX products which were versatile and used in various thicknesses and environments, and the technical support provided on site by the ARDEX Business Development team was second to none.”