Brand PR – 5 Things You Didn’t Know About Fortnum & Mason!

There’s no such thing as being ‘too established’ to benefit from a Brand PR and Marketing campaign, as is the case with London-based retailer Fortnum & Mason – a whole 314 years old! Like all brands, they have stories they can share about their history, how they work, how they adapt to changing markets to suit their customers’ needs. They can even turn bad news into good news, as is the case with the recent announcement about their decision to stop selling foie gras. This is the power PR can have and how we at Quite Great can help, focusing on what makes you unique and getting you to stand out from the crowd!

* Founded in 1707 by William Fortnum and his landlord, Hugh Mason, the former was a footman in Queen Anne’s household, selling off half-used candles as an extra earner and catching the entrepreneurial bug!

* Now known as a retailer of some of the most expensive, exclusive food and drink available, they were also the first place to sell both scotch eggs and Heinz baked beans! Today, a box of four scotch eggs will set you back nearly £15!

* Famed for the exclusive and, yes, expensive, food and drink items it stocks, the arrival each year of Elvas Plums are considered so important that they make an announcement each Autumn in The Times!

* Making the most of every inch of retail space, they also smoke their own salmon and harvest their own honey…on the roof of their premises!

* After over ten years of protests from MPs, customers and celebrities including Sir Roger Moore and Ricky Gervais, Fortnum & Mason announced in 2021 that they would no longer be stocking foie gras due to the notorious methods used to make it