Mary Portas

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Mary Portas (née Newton; born 28 May 1960) is an English retail consultant and producer known for her television shows, founding her company Portas, and her appointment by David Cameron, the British Prime Minister, to lead a inquiry into the future of Britain's high streets.

Early life and education

Portas was born in a small Irish family in Windsor Road, north Watford, into a small end-of-terrace. She attended Holy Rood Catholic Junior School (in north Watford) and then St Joan of Arc Catholic School in Rickmansworth. Portas' mother died of encephalitis when she was 16, and her father died of a heart attack two years later, causing Portas, 18, to abandon a place at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in order to look after her younger brother.

Personal life

Portas was married to chemical engineer and Unilever executive Graham Portas for 14 years; the couple had two children. After a divorce from her husband, Portas later lived with Melanie Rickey in Primrose Hill with her children and their son.

Portas attended the "I Do Equal Marriage" festival on March 29, 2014, which commemorated the first time of same-sex marriage in England and Wales. Following a legislative amendment to the Marriage Act, Portas and Rickey became one of the first couples in the United Kingdom to convert their civil partnership to a marriage at one minute past midnight on December 10, 2014, one of the first couples to do so. On May 17, 2019, the two announced their separation.

She enjoys gardening and spends her money on art, wine, theatre, and chocolate. The Independent named her as one of the top 100 Tweeters in the United Kingdom in 2011.

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Career

Portas began her retailing career with a Saturday job in John Lewis. She then worked part-time and later a full-time job with Harrods, where she was first responsible for window displays for about three years before joining Topshop as display manager. She was discovered by Burton Group chairman Sir Ralph Halpern while working in this position.

Portas' first exposure and public acclaim as the creative director of Harvey Nichols was her next move. Portas is credited with the transformation of Harvey Nichols into a top-notch modern fashion brand. She created the pioneering Harvey Nichols window displays that became part of London's guided tours, one of her most well-known exhibits was "Autumn Intrusion," a collaboration by artist Thomas Heatherwick that received a D&AD Gold award in 1997. After promising writer and actor Jennifer Saunders the run of the store for study in exchange for Saunders namechecking the company, she begged the store's owners to use younger designers and became well-known in the BBC's Absolutely Fabulous series in the 1990s. Portas was a member of the company's board by the age of 30.

Portas left Harvey Nichols to open Yellowdoor, a marketing firm that works with clients including Clarks, Louis Vuitton, Oasis Stores, Swarovski, Dunhill, Boden, Thomas Pink, Patek Philippe, and Mercedes-Benz. Portas Agency Ltd. relaunched her business in January 2013; today, the company advises retail clients from around the world, and its success is based on an obsessive analysis of human and cultural behavior.

Portas is widely known as one of the UK's top retail and brand ambassadors. She flies around the world advising on retail planning and giving regularly lectures on the topic of brands and retail. Portas appeared alongside Neil Armstrong at the Cannes Palais Festivals in October 2007 and spoke with the Dalai Lama in June 2012.

Portas joined Harvey Nichols before he was 30 years old.

Portas left Harvey Nichols to start Yellowdoor, her consulting firm. Portas was quoted as "I wanted to create my own world" when asked in a Radio Times interview why she left Harvey Nichols. "I wanted freedom."

Portas' first television appearance was as a guest on Richard & Judy in 2005, where she was first seen by television actress Patricia Llewellyn, who later moved Portas to production company Optomen Television.

Heriot-Watt University named Portas a Doctorate of Letters on June 19, 2009, in honor of her service and her contribution to the growth of marketing and brand communications in the retail industry.

Portas opened her first 'Life & Giving Shop' in December 2009 in support of charity Save the Children. Now has 26 shops in London and Edinburgh. She was also appointed as the charity's Global Retail Ambassador. Save The Children's charities have raised more than £23 million to date. Portas has been credited with changing the charity shop format, making "Mary's Living & Giving" a destination for second hand and pre-loved clothing and distinguishing it from the remainder of the category - "Charity shops with a difference."

Portas went from BBC to Channel 4 in 2011. Mary Portas: The Secret Shopper, her first series for the channel, aired in January 2011.

Portas opened "Mary & House of Fraser" within the UK department store House of Fraser's Oxford Street flagship in August 2011. "Mary Portas" is the store's first fashion collection, as well as other product collaborations such as a Clark's footwear collection - "Mary & Clark's," and a Charnos hosiery collection "Mary & Charnos" are among the store's product collaborations. Portas also introduced Armery, which is a hosiery-type armour for the arms. The product is supposed to "banish bingo wings."

By Thames & Hudson, Portas' first book, Windows – the Art of Retail Display, was released in five languages.

How to Shop with Mary, Queen of Shops, was her second book, which was released by BBC Books in 2007 to accompany the television series. Peter Cross, Josh Sims, and Melanie Rickey co-authored the book.

Mary Portas, Shop Girl, a memoir, was published by Doubleday in 2015.

Penguin published Work Like A Woman, her fourth book, in 2019.

Rebuild, her fifth book, was published in July 2021.

Portas has been writing a weekly column Shop! for the Daily Telegraph magazine, reviewing shops around the country since 2005. She began writing the column in 2005, it was her analysis of shops that inspired the BBC documentary and accompanying book. Portas also assesses stores based on their location, shopability, product quality, and website – giving out 10 out of 10.

Portas wrote a weekly column for consumer fashion magazine Grazia between 2008 and 2010, giving career guidance and mentoring.

In over 20 international territories, including Australia's Lifestyle Channel, Portas' programmes are seen, including on Australia's Lifestyle Channel.

In 2009, Portas hosted Mary Portas: Save Our Shops, which was part of The Money Programme.

She appeared on Panorama's "On the Rack" which exposed unethical manufacturing methods by fast fashion store Primark; and she has appeared on The Apprentice: You're Fired. Four times.

Portas appeared on Channel 4's Lily Allen's From Riches to Rags, in which she accompanied the pop star in her first appearance in fashion retailing in March 2011.

In October 2018, she appeared on series 12, episode 2 of Would I Lie to You.

Portas was appointed as the Global Retail Ambassador for Save the Children following the BBC Two series Mary, Queen of Charity Shops in June 2009. "Not just a shop, but a place to inspire, share, create, and discover" is Julia's original concept for the "Life & Giving" brand. Portas' first Living & Giving shop opened three weeks in Westfield London, raising the charity over £190,000. Portas has opened seven permanent Living & Giving shops in Edinburgh, Westbourne Grove, Primrose Hill, Parson's Green, Barnes, New Kings Road, and Chiswick.

On February 4, 2012, Minister of Local Government Grant Shapps announced that towns around England might want to become Portas Pilot Areas. A total of twelve towns was set to receive a share of £1 million, as well as the Minister, Whitehall, and Mary Portas' help. Bedford, Croydon, Dartford, Bedminster, Bedminster (Greater Bristol), Liskeard, Margate, Market Rasen, Nelson, Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, Stockport, Stockton-on-Tees, and Wolverhampton were among the twelve towns to be aided in May 2012.

Ashford, Berwick, Braintree, Brighton, 25 towns were announced in July 2012, including Hatfield, Mona, Newcastle, Leamington Spa (Lodge Street), Waterloo, Tower Hamlets, and Loughborough. (Chrisp Street, Morecambe, Rotherham, and Tiverton), B.O. Watson, Liverpool, Westfield), Bristol, Watley Market, and Tower Hamlets.

She opened her first retail store in August 2011 as a result of a makeover in the Oxford Street branch of House of Fraser. Mary & House of Fraser sells clothing and lifestyle products targeted at the 40+ female market, and was shot for Channel 4's Mary Queen of Frocks, which premiered in October 2011.

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