Former number cruncher has passion in store

EVERYTHING about Peter Williams is a style statement. From his matching loudly striped Paul Smith shirt and socks to his trendy, minimalist office and its low-slung, bright cerise sofa with over-sized soft leather cushions, Williams exudes metropolitan chic.

This is hardly a surprise considering that he heads Selfridges, a beacon of good taste. But what might raise any fashionista's immaculately plucked eyebrow is that Williams, 49, is an Arthur Andersen trained accountant who spent 12 years as the department store group's finance director.

In a world where easy labels such as bean counter are difficult to lose, remarkably, Williams has managed to do just that.

'I have always been an extrovert,' he said. 'When I was finance director, I had to suppress that - after all, in a public company with shareholders, it's up to an accountant to rein in the more wacky ideas of the chief executive. I had to spend a lot of time saying no and that can portray you in quite a negative way.

'Since I became chief executive, I've been able to adopt a completely different attitude and now I drive my finance director mad.'

Attitude is not the only aspect of Williams' professional life that has changed. So have his masters.

Almost a year ago, he learned he was taking over the top job from Vittorio Radice, who left to inject some sparkle into Marks & Spencer's dowdy home business.

Radice's departure caused such a brouhaha in the City that Selfridges' share price plunged and within weeks the group was the subject of a bitter bid battle.

Williams put together an offer, but it was too low and Canadian billionaire Galen Weston emerged victorious in a £628m deal, adding Selfridges to an international retail empire that includes London's Fortnum & Mason.

The new owners took Selfridges private, but kept

Williams on. It must have been galling to gain and lose the position of chief executive of a quoted company in a matter of weeks. Even now, he will not be drawn on whether he feels secure under the new regime.

'All I can do is concentrate on trading in new and exciting ways,' he said. 'Of course, there is an element of disappointment at not winning the bid, but you have to be realistic in life and play with the cards you get. The Westons are long-term players and they understand the brand. They have not made any changes in the team since they arrived and have just let us get on with it. I am still passionate about the business.'

In October, Weston signalled that stores tentatively planned for Bristol, Leeds and Newcastle had been shelved with the cash redirected to existing stores in London, Birmingham and Manchester.

A new outlet planned for Glasgow escaped the axe and Williams is planning an architectural design spectacular-to rival Selfridges' futuristic spaceship-style store which opened this year in Birmingham.

At present, Christmas is uppermost in his mind. Oxford Street, home of the London flagship store, is a destination for millions and Williams has risen to the challenge with an indulgent promotion celebrating all things chocolate - including a window display model in chocolate of Nigella Lawson - and meringue snowmen.

But how will Selfridges fare? 'We've got a great team and we've got something very different,' he said. 'We're confident.'