In London, 1908, Agnes Tower, who works at Gamages department store, finds her life about to change following an encounter with Harry Gordon Selfridge. He is finalising his great plans for the biggest and finest department store the world has ever seen in Oxford Street. His family also show up in London from Chicago
The store has now been open for a few months and the displays are still as seductive as on opening day, and the staff are poised for action. The only thing the store is missing though is customers. Harry is confident though on the outside but privately he is worried
Harry and Ellen are enjoying their new love affair and dance into the night at an apartment that Harry has got Ellen. She ends up talking about her father and reveals that her real name is Joyce. Agnes's nasty drunk father called Reg has been fired from his job and he ends up losing his temper with his daughter, hitting her across the face
Harry scores something of a coup when prima ballerina Anna Pavlova agrees to pay Selfridges a visit. However, Agnes's job looks to be under threat when a violent Reg reaches breaking point and gatecrashes the event - and things only get worse when Ellen invites herself along. Meanwhile, one of the department store's most loyal employees is caught stealing, a formidable new head of fashion arrives and Rose reveals her true identity to Roddy
Harry delights in a new car brought in for a window display, but after a confrontation with Rose, who has received a visit from his mistress Ellen Love, he hits rock bottom, drinking and reliving a traumatic childhood memory as he drives the vehicle into the night. Meanwhile, Agnes falls out with Victor when she returns to Selfridges, although Henri is pleased to see her again
Harry is left unconscious after the car accident and as his family gathers by his bedside, the news arrives that Mrs Grove is dead - something which leaves Miss Mardle confused. Meanwhile, a suffragette demonstration in the area sees all the store's staff pulling together, and as Victor and Lady Mae conduct their secret affair, Agnes and Henri's friendship continues to grow
Author and spiritualist Arthur Conan Doyle is in Selfridges for a Sherlock Holmes book signing when he persuades Harry to hold a seance in the store - and the results of the gathering force the retail magnate to have a long-overdue heart-to-heart with Lois. Meanwhile, Agnes is transferred to women's fashion, Doris resolves to help an old friend, Miss Mardle is still agonising over Mr Grove, and Kitty has a secret admirer
Harry and Rose are getting ready to host a dinner in honour of friends Frank and Jennie Woolworth. Frank is a fellow American retail tycoon and founder of the famous High Street chain. A Woolworth’s store is about to open in Brixton, and when Frank thinks of a possible West End branch, Harry’s feathers soon become ruffled
Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton arrives to give a lecture at the store. On the same day, the underground is shutdown when a body is discovered on the tracks, resulting in the late arrival of several employees. The identity of the body sends a wave a shock throughout the store
Lady Mae arranges an after hours shopping spree for King Edward VII. To thank Harry, the King invites the Selfridges to the opening of Ellen Love's new play, much to Rose's dismay. The Selfridges and Lady Mae discover the play is a satire aimed at ridiculing them, and scripted by an embittered Frank Edwards