Mary Portas

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

Portas was the fourth child of five siblings, born into a Catholic and Protestant Irish family in a small end-of-terrace in Windsor Road in north Watford.

She attended Holy Rood Catholic Junior School (in north Watford) and then St Joan of Arc, a Catholic grammar School in Rickmansworth.

Her Belfast born Catholic mother, died of encephalitis when Portas was aged 16, her father soon remarried but died of a heart attack two years later forcing Portas, aged 18, to turn down a place at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in order to look after her younger brother on her own.

Portas started her career in retail with a Saturday job in John Lewis.

She then had a part-time, and later a full-time, job with Harrods where she was responsible for window displays for about three years, before joining Topshop as display manager.

While in this job, she was spotted by Burton Group chairman Sir Ralph Halpern.

Her next role brought Portas her first taste of fame and public acclaim, as creative director of Harvey Nichols.

Portas is credited with turning Harvey Nichols into a leading modern fashion brand.

She then persuaded the store's owners to use younger designers, and gained publicity in the BBC's Absolutely Fabulous series in the 1990s, after promising writer and star of the show Jennifer Saunders the run of the store for research in return for Saunders namechecking the business.

By the age of 30, Portas was a member of the company's board.

She created the groundbreaking Harvey Nichols window displays that became part of the guided tours of London — one of her most famous displays was "Autumn Intrusion" - a commission by artist Thomas Heatherwick that won a D&AD Gold award in 1997.

In 1997 Portas left Harvey Nichols to launch an agency, Yellowdoor, producing campaigns for clients including Clarks, Louis Vuitton, Oasis Stores, Swarovski, Dunhill, Boden, Thomas Pink, Patek Philippe and Mercedes-Benz, Sainsbury's, Habitat, Westfield, Liberty and The Body Shop.

In 1997, Portas left Harvey Nichols to launch her consultancy business, Yellowdoor.

When asked in a Radio Times interview why she left Harvey Nichols, Portas is quoted to have said "I wanted to create my own world. I wanted freedom."

Portas's first television appearance was as a guest on Richard & Judy in 2005, where she was spotted by television producer Patricia Llewellyn who then signed Portas to production company Optomen Television.

Since 2005, Portas has written a weekly column Shop!, for the Daily Telegraph magazine, reviewing shops across the country.

Notably, Portas spoke alongside Neil Armstrong at the Cannes Palais Festivals in October 2007, and spoke at the Yorkshire International Business Convention with the Dalai Lama in June 2012.

Before the age of 30, Portas became a member of the board at Harvey Nichols.

Her second book, How to Shop with Mary, Queen of Shops, was published by BBC Books in 2007 to accompany the television series.

The book was co-authored by Peter Cross, Josh Sims and Melanie Rickey.

On 19 June 2009, in a ceremony at Galashiels, Heriot-Watt University awarded Portas a Doctorate of Letters in recognition of her career and her contribution to the advancement of marketing and brand communications within the retail sector

In December 2009, Portas opened her first permanent 'Living & Giving Shop' in support of charity Save the Children.

There are now 26 shops open across London and Edinburgh.

She was also named as the charity's Global Retail Ambassador.

To date, the charity shops have raised in excess of £23m for Save The Children.

Portas has been credited with revolutionising the charity shop store format, making "Mary's Living & Giving" a destination for second hand and pre-loved clothing and separating it from the rest of the category - "Charity shops with a difference".

In 2011, Portas moved from BBC to Channel 4.

Her first series for the channel was Mary Portas: Secret Shopper which aired in January 2011.

In August 2011, Portas opened her own shop, called "Mary & House of Fraser" within UK department store House of Fraser's Oxford Street flagship.

The store stocks her first fashion collection, called 'Mary Portas', as well as other product collaborations including a footwear collection with Clark's - "Mary & Clark's", and a hosiery collection with Charnos - "Mary & Charnos".

Portas also launched a new product, 'Armery', which is a hosiery-type garment for the arms.

The product is designed to "banish bingo wings".

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

In January 2013 she re-launched her agency as Portas Agency Ltd. Today, Portas Agency advises retail clients from every continent, and the businesses success is built on an obsessive understanding of human and cultural behaviour.

Portas is claimed to be one of the UK's foremost authorities on retail and brand communication.

She regularly travels around the world advising on retail strategy and frequently lectures on the theme of brands and retail.

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

Her fourth book, Work Like A Woman, was published in 2019 by Penguin.

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