AS BOSS of the Brown Thomas and Selfridges department stores, Irishman Paul Kelly is well used to rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous.
But in a recent interview, the “through and through” Manchester United fan admits to having been as excited as a schoolboy the first time he clocked Wayne Rooney in a Selfridges store in Manchester.
“He was only a couple of months with United. I was in the Selfridges store in the Trafford [Centre] one day and I thought ‘is that Wayne Rooney over there?’ Somebody said: ‘yeah, yeah’.
“So I introduced myself and said, ‘you don’t know who I am but welcome to Selfridges and welcome to Man U’.”
“I’ve met himself and Colleen [McLoughlin] a few times in the store. He’s only a kid. Most of them are. You think they’re a lot older because you see them on TV but when you see them in real life they are way younger.”
A busy work schedule means Kelly doesn’t get to Old Trafford much these days but “I do go up and down to Manchester a fair bit and I have met all the guys. Rooney to Ryan Giggs to Edwin van der Sar to Rio Ferdinand. The Nevilles. I’ve met them all.
“In fact, Rio launched his footwear range in our Oxford Street store a few weeks ago.”
Kelly has also been happy to encourage the millionaire stars of rival club Manchester City – backed by the wealth of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan – to open their wallets in Selfridges.
Earlier this year, the store sponsored a show in Manchester for Fashion Kicks, a charity run by Shay Given and his wife Jane.
“Afterwards there was a big meal and an auction and entertainment and all that. You had all the team there. [Manager Roberto] Mancini was there. It was an amazing night.”
