In August 2026, Harri Lockett, circular manager at Selfridges, a global luxury retailer, states that circularity only works when it is commercially disciplined, culturally invisible, and built for the long game. There is one particular question that Lockett returns to in her work, time and time again. Not, “Is this interesting?” but, “Is this actionable?” Hence, it is always said that interesting ideas fill meeting rooms, but the actionable ones build businesses.
Lockett has 10+ years of experience in corporate sustainability, working across agencies, FMCG brands, and currently working in one of the world’s most iconic stores. The through-line across all of it has been connecting highly technical sustainability thinking to the parts of a business that actually sell things such as communications, marketing, and commercial teams. These people live and die by the numbers.
At Selfridges, that connection is front and center. “What immediately appealed to me about the Circular Manager role,” she tells London Packaging Week, “Was how closely tied it is to the commercial engine of the business. Traditionally, sustainability teams are often asking for budget, trying to get projects approved and building business cases around environmental impact or regulatory requirements rather than financial returns. What’s unique here is that commerciality sits at its core.”
Lockett also states that this is exactly why Selfridges has been able to build something that works. The store’s ambitions and future goals are more impactful compared to most outsiders’ realization. Selfridges’ iconic yellow carrier bag, one of the most recognizable pieces of retail packaging in the world, is now made using fiber recovered from spent coffee cups collected in its own cafes and offices, upcycled through a closed-loop process with specialist partner James Cropper. The most visible thing a Selfridges customer walks out of the door carrying is itself a circular product. That is not a coincidence, but a philosophy.
The circular offering Lockett now manages, also known as Reselfridges, has been built over five or six years through patient investment, honest evaluation, and a willingness to walk away from what was not working. It vital pillars today are pre-loved accessories business, particularly strong in handbags, watches, as well as jewelry, one of the most renowned network of repair partners across the Oxford Street flagship, also known as a buy back scheme for luxury handbags, along with one of the most recently, a beauty recycling program launched across all the stores.
The last one is assumed to be a vital one because it is the first circular initiative Selfridges has introduced without a direct commercial drive. Customers can return five empty beauty or fragrance products purchased from anywhere and earn “keys” through the Selfridges Unlocked membership program. It is an investment in habit, in loyalty, and in a longer relationship with customers who are already engaged. The commercial logic is there. It’s just operating over a longer arc.
“Circular products and services accounted for around £17.6m of sales in 2026,” Lockett says. “That’s quite significant. It means we have a genuine seat at the table within that division and can continue investing in what works.”
Such sales do not happen in just a year. It is an overall outcome of consistent, incremental growth, tested and re-tested, with honest conversations about what the data is saying. “The team has done a brilliant job of testing, trialing and innovating over the years while also being willing to move away from ideas that aren’t delivering results,” she adds. “The focus has always been on identifying what works best for both customers and the business.”
Pre-loved luxury is a crowded, increasingly sophisticated market, and the rise of vintage has demonstrated the appetite for it. On the other hand, the question of authenticity becomes highly acute at a higher price point. A customer spending a huge amount to own a second-hand product doesn’t work on slight faith.
“The trust that customers have in the Selfridges name is probably what does us the biggest favor in this space,” Lockett says. “In the pre-loved handbag market, customers don’t always have the same reassurance everywhere they purchase from. Everything that comes through Selfridges is thoroughly authenticated. We know our brands exceptionally well and are deeply familiar with the luxury market. The trust we’re able to offer customers as a brand is hugely valuable.”
That trust also attracts a customer profile that might not otherwise have considered pre-loved. “We already have a customer base looking for luxury handbags,” Lockett explains. “We haven’t had to stretch too far to find people who might be shopping for themselves but are also thinking about buying their daughter a first luxury handbag for an 18th birthday and perhaps don’t want to make that full-price brand purchase. That’s where we see really lovely customer stories emerging.”
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