Selfridges enhances VIP Shopping Zone experience with a state-of-the-art audio system from Tateside, showcasing an innovative AV audio system installation that exemplifies the critical role of AV audio system installation in shaping modern retail environments.

The Selfridges flagship store is an iconic destination on London’s Oxford Street, renowned for transforming retail into an immersive leisure experience. Building on this philosophy, the retailer has launched its new VIP Shopping Zone – an exclusive personal shopping environment where luxury retail meets hospitality. Incorporating a high-quality AV audio system installation through communication and collaboration can significantly enhance the ambience and customer satisfaction.

Importance of AV Audio System Installation in Modern Retail

Implementing a robust AV audio system installation is essential for attracting and retaining customers in a competitive market. Situated high above the streets of central London, the space provides members with a tailored experience, merging personal shopping, curated events, private dining, premium entertainment and exclusive brand experiences. Tateside, having successfully collaborated with Selfridges on multiple projects throughout the Oxford Street store, was chosen to craft and implement a custom audio solution that elevates every aspect of the VIP customer journey.

This remarkable AV audio system installation enhances the overall ambiance, ensuring that every moment in the VIP Shopping Zone is unforgettable, thanks to the superior quality of the AV audio system installation.

“The space used to be an executive meeting room floor, which we first fitted out around eight years ago,” explains Jack Cornish, Technical Director at Tateside. “The space has now evolved into a VIP shopping environment centred around a large lounge area, with additional zones including a bar, fitting rooms, jewellery rooms, private dining rooms, an outdoor terrace and DJ setup – all set across one level.”

Importance of Professional AV Audio System Installation

Tateside became involved during the early consultation stages, working closely with multiple stakeholders, including Selfridges’ visual merchandising and IT teams. The goal was to create an audio system that balanced exceptional sound quality with a carefully curated interior design aesthetic.

“The brief was to deliver a high-performance audio system centred around bold, vintage-style speakers in the main lounge and club space, supported by more discreet background audio throughout the floor,” says Cornish. “It was about creating a premium audio experience that not only sounds exceptional but is also intuitive and easy to control.” The result is a flexible, multi-zone audio solution that supports everything from relaxed personal shopping appointments to private events, live performances and DJ sessions.

Enhancing Experiences through AV Audio System Installation

At the heart of the VIP Shopping Zone is the Club Lounge and bar area, where Tateside designed an audio system that serves as both a performance solution and a visual centrepiece. “Two limited-edition Klipsch + Ojas kO-R1 loudspeakers were chosen to take centre stage, suspended from the ceiling to immediately draw attention as you walk into the space,” explains Cornish. “We wanted to use these iconic loudspeakers as intentional design features rather than hiding them away.”

The distinctive birch plywood cabinets deliver the vintage-inspired aesthetic sought by the client, while providing exceptional audio performance for events, background music and live DJ sets. Supporting the main loudspeakers, the wider lounge system incorporates Martin Audio CDD8B loudspeakers and SX212 subwoofers, delivering powerful, full-range sound throughout the space.

Flexible VIP Shopping Event Spaces with High-Performance Audio Systems

Adjacent to the main lounge is the Corner Club event space, designed to accommodate private gatherings and exclusive experiences. Here, Martin Audio CDD6B loudspeakers paired with an SX210 subwoofer provide consistent coverage and high-fidelity sound reproduction. A floating DJ booth within the lounge serves as both a visual focal point and a functional performance area.

“The DJ booth is not just a visual focal point but also an energy driver, allowing the space to transition from a relaxed environment to something more dynamic,” says Cornish. “The audio can also be routed to other areas in the VIP gallery, helping to create a consistent atmosphere across the space.”

Premium Audio Systems for Private Dining and Outdoor Terraces

Throughout the VIP Shopping Zone, every area has been carefully considered to ensure a seamless audio experience. In the Private Dining Room, Bowers & Wilkins CCM362 in-ceiling speakers deliver warm, unobtrusive sound while blending discreetly into the interior design. The adjoining outdoor dining terrace features a pair of weather-resistant Bowers & Wilkins AM-1 loudspeakers, providing balanced sound and rich bass performance in all weather conditions.

For the larger outdoor terrace, eight Audac WX502 wall-mounted loudspeakers provide clear, natural audio for both background music and speech applications. Integrated DJ connectivity allows performances to be extended outdoors when required, while floor boxes and local volume controls provide additional flexibility for different events and occasions.

Consistent Audio Across Every Customer Touchpoint

As visitors move throughout the VIP floor, audio remains consistent and immersive. Bowers & Wilkins CCM362 in-ceiling speakers have been installed throughout corridors and the jewellery suite, ensuring discreet, high-quality background music across all customer-facing areas.

Even the changing rooms have been designed to enhance the overall customer experience. Premium brand integrations, including Bang & Olufsen televisions and gaming consoles, help create a relaxed, residential-style atmosphere that complements the luxury retail environment.

Preserving Audio Quality with a Zero-Ohm Speaker System

To maintain premium sound quality across multiple speaker zones, Tateside implemented a Zero-Ohm speaker system throughout the project. “Unlike traditional 100V systems, this approach preserves full-range sound, delivering greater clarity, dynamics and bass response while maintaining a cost-effective and scalable installation,” explains Cornish. The design enables low-impedance loudspeakers to be daisy-chained efficiently without compromising audio performance, ensuring a superior listening experience throughout the VIP space.

Dante Audio Networking and Centralised Control

The entire audio infrastructure is managed via a fully networked Dante audio system, allowing seamless routing of audio between multiple zones across the floor. “By utilising the VIP floor’s existing infrastructure and comms rooms, we were able to avoid running new cabling, instead using Dante to efficiently distribute audio signals,” says Cornish. At the heart of the system is a Bose EX1280 processor providing 64×64 Dante-based signal processing, working alongside Powersoft Unica amplifiers to deliver reliable, high-performance audio distribution throughout the venue.

Intuitive User Control for Staff

Ease of use was a key consideration throughout the project. Tateside designed a simple and intuitive control platform, enabling staff to manage volume levels and audio sources via iPad and Mac applications using familiar interfaces. A flexible matrix architecture allows any zone to access multiple audio inputs. For example, a live DJ performance in the lounge can be routed directly to the outdoor terrace or other areas of the VIP floor. Additional control points, including Audac NWP400/B Dante-enabled wall panels and Bluetooth connectivity plates, provide convenient day-to-day operation for staff.

The Result

Opening in April 2026, the new Selfridges VIP Shopping Zone represents a unique fusion of luxury retail, hospitality and entertainment. For Tateside, the project marks another significant milestone within one of London’s most prestigious retail environments. Close collaboration with multiple stakeholders ensured a solution that successfully balances design, performance, flexibility and usability.

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