Mary Portas On 19 June 2009, in a ceremony at Galashiels, Heriot-Watt University awarded Portas a Doctorate of Letters in recognition of her career and her contribution to the advancement of marketing and brand communications within the retail sector In December 2009, Portas opened her first permanent 'Living & Giving Shop' in support of charity Save the Children. There are now 16 shops open across London and Edinburgh. She was also named as the charity's Global Retail Ambassador. In 2011, Portas moved from BBC to Channel 4. Her first series for the channel was "Mary Portas: Secret Shopper" which aired in January
Mary Queen of Shops Portas troubleshoots her way around the UK on a mission to help turn around struggling fashion boutiques. Mary is a leading retail communications expert and is the founder and creative director of Yellowdoor. Her aim is to turn the businesses around and put glamour back into shopping. First, she visits the boutiques while the owners are away. Then she revamps them, gets the shop owners right up-to-date and hopefully helps them to start making money again. In season 3, Mary takes on other retail shops. Mary Queen of Shops premiered in the United States on 14 August 2009 on BBC