Niche Fragrances in Birmingham

[Nastka]

Hi all. I just thought I'd post a thread collating what can be found and tested in Birmingham as I travel through it quite frequently. I'll start with Selfridges as I know what brands they stock in store of the top of my head:

- Acqua di Parma
- Aedes de Venustas
- Aerin
- Amouage
- Annick Goutal (very limited)
- Armani Prive (they used to get the hyper-rare limited editions (La Femme Bleue for example), not anymore it seems)
- Atelier Cologne
- Atkinsons
- Bella Belissima
- Bond No.9
- Byredo
- Carven (including Paris travel themed collection)
- Chanel Les Exclusifs
- Clive Christian
- Comme des Garcons (unfortunately, no 'Series' or scents that cannot be found elsewhere)
- Creed (including the larger flacons)
- Dear Rose
- Dior La Collection Privee
- Diptyque
- Escentric Molecules
- Estee Lauder Private Collection
- Hermes (they stock Galop, but no Hermessence, Bel Ami, Hiris, etc.)
- Jeroboam
- Jo Malone (including Rare Teas)
- Juliette Has a Gun (including Luxury Collection)
- Maison Francis Kurkdjian
- Maison Lancome
- Maison Margiela Replica
- Mancera
- Nasomatto
- Nejma
- Olfactive Studio
- Ormonde Jayne
- Parfums de Marly
- Robert Piguet (good range)
- Roja Dove
- Serge Lutens (including Section d'Or)
- Thameen
- The Fragrance Kitchen
- Tom Ford Private Line
- Van Cleef & Arples (including Collection Extraordinaire)
- YSL Collection Orientale and Le Vestiaire des Parfums (not quite sure how seasonal these are though)

This is as of today (they change some of their line-up quarterly it seems) and I'm sure there may be some that I missed.

Glaring omissions are a complete lack of Guerlain, L'Artisan Parfumeur, Frederic Malle and a wider selection of Hermes and Comme des Garcons. I did a happy dance when they decided to stock Byredo a few months ago. It's a great store if you'd like to sample lots of smaller houses and arabian-style perfumery, though.

Apart from Selfridges, there are a few other stores in Birmingham:

- I don't frequent Harvey Nichols often since it's too far away when I travel through Birmingham (usually via New Street Station). I've been there a few months ago when visiting a friend who works nearby and I don't believe there's anything there that can't be found in Selfridges. Compared to Harvey Nichols Knightsbridge, it's still a damp squib in terms of range despite the recent refurbishment,

- There's also a large and gorgeous John Lewis at New Street Station that stocks Atelier Cologne, Creed, Diptyque, and a few of Ermenegildo Zegna's Essenze line, but not much else when it comes to niche. It's still worth visiting even if you're not shopping for perfume as it's really raised the bar for the other department stores in Birmingham and in the area,

- There's a a large and dated House of Frasier just around the corner from the rest. The only highlight there is a well-stocked Guerlain counter (nothing exclusive though) and the Hugo Boss The Collection line which is very nice well curated,

- Another large and dated store is Marks and Spencer. The last time I've visited they stocked Fragonard, Roger & Gallet, Shay & Blue, Monotheme and Nuxe. They used to stock Comptoir Sud Pacifique ages ago.

- One more thing: Birmingham Airport (BHX) stock Chanel including Les Exclusifs, Tom Ford Private Line, Zegna's Essenze line, Armani Prive and Jo Malone which is worth bearing in mind (duty-free!).

All of the above apart from Harvey Nichols and the airport (duh) is close and within walking distance and easily visited during one shopping trip. Feel free to add anything that I might have missed. Hope this guide has been useful!

 

[Nastka]

Removed the following:
- So Oud
- Terry Gunzberg
- Heeley
- Min New York

Added:
- Jeroboam
- Roja Dove

Also added Shay & Blue for Marks and Spencer.

Big news is Roja Dove joining. They have a few fragrances including Elysium, however, not the extracts. I'm personally gutted about Heeley being shelved as I enjoy their scents very much, but whatever. Oddly enough, Byredo is taking up more floor space now with a large, dedicated area, and also being stocked in the central 'islands'. Also - the new, 100ml bottles of Serge Lutens are in, so if you are keen to sample Vetiver Oriental, you can do that now.

Just a disclaimer - the above may change all the time, and there are changes which I may have not noticed (some of the Arabian inspired brands look all the same to me to be honest). I will update this sheet every now and then if I visit Selfridges and notice any exciting changes. If anyone wants to join in and keep this updated, please post in this thread or PM me.

 

[EasyToAssemble]

Birmingham is my nearest city, so this is of interest to me. Would be surprised if there wasn't eventually a niche boutique opening somewhere, as the nearest other cities stocking niche houses would be London (not counting the boutiques typically found in the more wealthy small towns like the Cotswolds, etc)

I also visit the New St TK Maxx, although it's impossible to list items available in those stores as they change so often.

 

[Nastka]

Nice to see a fellow person who is familiar with Birmingham!

I'm also a little surprised that there aren't any niche boutiques since Birmingham isn't exactly a small city. Maybe the demand being already satisfied by the department stores, but I could see a boutique like Les Senteurs or Bloom Perfumery stocked with niche offerings prosper.

At least a lot of brands are covered now. Back in the day before Selfridges' beauty hall was refurbished, the only niche brands they stocked were Creed, Amouage and later on Tom Ford.

The TK Maxx is quite good, but given the volume of people that must pass through it, it's difficult to snag a bargain. That being said, they used to carry tons of L'Artisan Parfumeur, and even some Serge Lutens.