Fortnum & Mason: The Story of the Royal Grocer
It began with a footman, some leftover candle wax and a very good idea. Three centuries on, Fortnum & Mason is the most famous grocer in the world.
On the corner of Piccadilly stands a shop the colour of a duck’s egg, where the doormen wear tailcoats and the tea is sold by the leaf. Fortnum & Mason has been there, in one form or another, for over three centuries — and its origin story is one of the most charming in British retail.
A footman with an eye for business
The shop was founded in 1707 by William Fortnum and Hugh Mason. Fortnum was a footman in the household of Queen Anne, and he spotted an opportunity in a royal quirk: the Queen insisted on fresh candles every night, leaving a great deal of half-used wax. Fortnum resold it, built a tidy side business as a grocer, and went into partnership with his landlord, Hugh Mason. From candle ends, an empire.
Royal connections
The royal thread never frayed. A later generation of Fortnums went into royal service too, and the court connection helped the business flourish. The shop became known for sourcing the finest and most exotic provisions of the day — and for the impeccable presentation that is still its signature.
The famous hampers
Fortnum’s introduced its wicker hampers in the eighteenth century, originally packed for travellers heading to country estates and spa towns. Today they are a fixture of the British summer — spotted at Ascot, Wimbledon and Henley — and a beloved Christmas gift, filled with the best of the Food Hall.
More than a shop
Part emporium, part institution, Fortnum & Mason endures because it sells not just food but a certain idea of British elegance — unhurried, generous and beautifully wrapped. Few shops anywhere can claim three hundred years of getting that exactly right.
Royal Warrant holder status is reviewed periodically and can change; details are correct as of 2026.
