{"id":10431,"date":"2022-04-28T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-04-27T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/?post_type=purple_issue&p=10431"},"modified":"2022-05-12T10:09:22","modified_gmt":"2022-05-12T08:09:22","slug":"behind-the-brand-fortnum-mason","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/2022\/04\/28\/behind-the-brand-fortnum-mason\/","title":{"rendered":"Behind the brand: Fortnum & Mason"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
BEHIND THE BRAND<\/span><\/h5>\n\n

Fortnum & Mason<\/h2>\n\n

Bolstered by dynamic advertising and no small amount of innovation, it\u2019s little surprise that \u2018the world\u2019s most famous cornershop\u2019 is still going strong after more than 300 years<\/em><\/p>\n\n

FEATURE POPPY BENNER<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

\"\"
As the 20th century progressed, Fortnum\u2019s introduced lots of new tea blends and claimed to have \u2018the most famous tea counter in the world\u2019. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

F<\/span>ortnum & Mason\u2019s association with the monarchy is nestled somewhere in the subconscious \u2013 it\u2019s an intrinsic part of the company\u2019s history that has helped to establish its reputation as a luxury brand.<\/p>\n\n

\"\"
The elegant new building at 181 Piccadilly is an important part of Fortnum\u2019s success<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

The relationship goes right back to the company\u2019s foundation over 300 years ago, when William Fortnum was a footman at the court of Queen Anne. One of the perks of Fortnum\u2019s job was to empty the half-burned candlesticks and take the le over 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\u2019s Market, when he met William Fortnum and became his landlord. With William\u2019s 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.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

In 1840, William\u2019s great-grandson, Richard Fortnum, ploughed the company\u2019s pro ts into the new building at 181 Piccadilly, where the shop stands today. With its elegant fanlights and decoration, <\/span>\u2018the designers of the building were deliberately inviting women customers inside to look at the wares on show,\u2019 says Dr Andrea Tanner, Fortnum & Mason\u2019s archivist. Its innovative use of plate glass windows \u2013 only invented three years earlier \u2013 further encouraged customers to experience the wonders within and became an important part of Fortnum\u2019s 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\u2019t kill the bees. \u2018It\u2019s an interesting building,\u2019 adds Andrea. \u2018It looks old-fashioned but is very modern; a theme of Fortnum & Mason.\u2019<\/p>\n\n

\"\"
its windows are well-known for their beautiful displays.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Tea is the driver of the business, says Andrea, as much now as it was at the beginning. Black Bohea tea from China was one of the first products Fortnum\u2019s sold, and records suggest it was also the first company to buy Indian tea at the first Indian tea auction in 1836. The company\u2019s historic house blends are also of note: when Edward VII acceded the throne in 1901, Fortnum\u2019s created the \u2018Royal Blend\u2019 for the new monarch, using Assam brought back from India and Flowery Pekoe from Sri Lanka. This famous tea is still popular today.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

\"\"
Fortnum\u2019s catalogues came to life with Edward Bawden\u2019s vivid illustrations, and are now highly prized by collectors.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Fortnum\u2019s has been producing hampers since the 18th century, too, though in the beginning they were designed for travellers, only becoming popular for picnics at the end of the 1700s. \u2018Derby Day was a particularly important day in the calendar, with carriages queuing up from four in the morning to pick up the Fortnum\u2019s picnic basket,\u2019 says Andrea. Nowadays, Fortnum\u2019s hampers, filled with the very best products from the Food Hall, will be seen at summer events like Ascot, Wimbledon and Henley, while at Christmas they are given as gifts to loved ones. These \u2018parcels of joy\u2019 continue to speak of luxury. When the Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon was opened by The Queen in 2012, accompanied by the Duchesses of Cornwall and Cambridge, the visit culminated in the presentation of three bespoke hampers. There couldn\u2019t have been a more fitting gift for the royal guests, says Andrea: \u2018It is the ultimate symbol of Fortnum\u2019s.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n\n

In the early days, most of Fortnum\u2019s custom was via account, and catalogues contained no prices; it was understood that, if you had to ask, you couldn\u2019t afford to shop there. It is company policy not to name celebrity customers still living, but Charles Dickens famously mentions the company in Household Words <\/em>and was a fan of Fortnum\u2019s chocolate. In Andrea\u2019s archives, a note from Dickens to his butler instructs him to buy \u2018a small cooked ham and a small Yorkshire pie from Messrs Fortnum & Mason\u2019.<\/p>\n\n

And, of course, the connection with royalty continues to be very important. Their endorsement has been a cornerstone of the company\u2019s success from the outset and is, in many ways, still employed today as a discreet and effective marketing tool, concedes Andrea. Currently, Fortnum\u2019s holds two royal warrants \u2013 one from The Queen and one from the Prince of Wales.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

Closely linked to the royal connection is Fortnum\u2019s strong relationship with the British armed forces. Historically, the company has supplied messes whenever there was conflict; in 1854 they sent beef tea to Florence Nightingale and her nurses in Crimea, by royal request of Queen Victoria. And after the outbreak of the First World War, the whole of the first floor was given over to officers\u2019 supplies \u2013 uniforms, weaponry, medicated toilet paper, lemonade tablets, patented trench watches and more. \u2018It was the most enormous enterprise,\u2019 says Andrea.<\/p>\n\n

Fortnum\u2019s added several new departments during the inter-war period, including an expeditions department that supplied every Everest expedition from 1922 onwards. The sports department sold tennis courts and laid them for you (while bringing in experts from Wimbledon to teach serve and volley). And, in an attempt to solve the \u2018servant problem\u2019 of the South East \u2013a shortage of domestic servants who went back to work after the war \u2013a new demonstration kitchen offered the ladies of London a chance to learn classic French cookery with Marcel Boulestin.<\/p>\n\n

DID YOU KNOW?<\/span><\/h4>\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n

The original \u2018Scotched Egg\u2019 <\/strong>was created by Fortnum\u2019s in 1738 as a portable pick-meup for travellers\u2019 baskets and people with busy lives. Back then the recipe consisted of a pullet\u2019s egg surrounded by forcemeat, dipped in egg wash and then in breadcrumbs, seasoned with salt, pepper and mace.<\/p>\n\n

When Henry J Heinz <\/strong>came from Baltimore with his tinned produce in 1886, Fortnum & Mason became the first grocer to stock Heinz baked beans \u2013 arguably the nation\u2019s favourite comfort food. In 2019, for the 150th birthday of Heinz, Fortnum\u2019s released limitededition Heinz products with labels in their famous eau-de-nil colour.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

The Suffragettes were imprisoned <\/strong>for smashing Fortnum & Mason\u2019s windows in 1911, while fighting for the right to vote. On their release from Holloway prison, Fortnum\u2019s sent them hampers filled with foods to build up their strength, including the famous beef tea. One hundred years later, <\/span>Fortnum\u2019s gave their iconic windows a smashed effect to mark the key event.<\/p>\n\n

<\/div>
\n

F&M\u2019S PLATINUM JUBILEE COLLECTION<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

JUBILEE GINGERBREAD ICED BISCUITS, \u00a317.95 <\/strong>
From a sweet corgi to the lily of the valley that graced her wedding day bouquet, these delicious gingerbread biscuits are inspired by The Queen\u2019s favourite things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

THE JUBILEE TEA GIFT BOX, \u00a350 <\/strong>
A perfect gift for tea lovers, this box is filled with a caddy of limited-edition Platinum Jubilee Tea and a fine bone china Platinum Jubilee Mug with gold detailing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

THE JUBILEE CELEBRATION HAMPER, \u00a3230 <\/strong>
Packed from top to bottom with sweet, savoury and sippable treats, this wonderful hamper is the perfect accompaniment to a Platinum Jubilee celebration.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n

During the 1920s, the company started to advertise for the first time, creating Fortnum\u2019s Commentaries, <\/em>which were sent out three to four times a year to account customers as a subtle reminder to ll their store cupboards. This \u2018direct mail with a stylish twist\u2019 proved incredibly successful, and is largely attributed to the input of several young artists of the time, including Rex Whistler, William Hendy, Cedric Morris and Edward Bawden. Bawden, in particular, was felt to have perfectly captured the spirit and essence of Fortnum\u2019s. Together with artist Ruth Gill, he also created the original F&M monogram, incorporating the company\u2019s signature shade, eau-denil, which was inspired by features of both of Fortnum\u2019s buildings.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

Today, this colour is instantly recognisable as Fortnum\u2019s; used as the exterior paint shade, throughout the product packaging, and as background colour to the landmark clock designed by Berkeley Sutcliffe.<\/p>\n\n