Former Selfridges boss to oversee transformation of iconic Edinburgh department store

“The scale of the challenge cannot be underestimated, but I feel confident we can create a destination of which Edinburgh can be proud” – Andrew Keith

The former chief executive of Selfridges is to lead the multi-million-pound landmark project to transform Edinburgh’s iconic Jenners building.

Andrew Keith announced that he was leaving the London department store at the end of July, and he will take up his new post north of the Border early in 2025, Jenners owner AAA United confirmed. Keith joined Selfridges in 2020, leading the business through the pandemic and guiding it through a change of ownership.

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Jenners has been an Edinburgh landmark since its opening in 1838, and has been on the same imposing site on Princes Street ever since. It was Scotland’s oldest independent department store until it was acquired by House of Fraser in 2005. In 2017, it was purchased by AAA United, a property business owned by Anders Holch Povlsen, whose ambition is to re-introduce commercial activity to the famous building.

Jenners on Edinburgh's Princes Street closed its doors as a department store in 2020 and is due to undergo a major makeover. Picture: Jane BarlowJenners on Edinburgh's Princes Street closed its doors as a department store in 2020 and is due to undergo a major makeover. Picture: Jane Barlow
Jenners on Edinburgh's Princes Street closed its doors as a department store in 2020 and is due to undergo a major makeover. Picture: Jane Barlow

Keith said: “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to take on such an important and visionary project. As a native of Edinburgh, I am well aware of the role that Jenners has played in the commercial and cultural life of the city, and indeed of Scotland and the world beyond.

“Our mission with this project is to have an impact beyond the building itself, and to deliver long-term commercial and social value by introducing innovative products that will excite customers and engage with the local community.”

He added: “The scale of the challenge cannot be underestimated, but I feel confident we can create a destination of which Edinburgh can be proud.”

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Anders Krogh, for AAA United, said: “When we acquired the Jenners building, we knew that it came with a great deal of responsibility. We are fully dedicated to honouring this building and its place within the future of Edinburgh, and our proposals will ensure that members of the public continue to enjoy this iconic building and its facilities for many years to come. We are delighted that Andrew Keith has agreed to lead this project.”

Jenners closed its doors as a department store in 2020.

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