Ready to start back-to-school shopping? No. How about Christmas?

I haven’t spied any ads for backpacks, pencil crayons and the like, yet. But as for Christmas, on Monday more than 600 holiday product lines went on sale at British luxury department store Selfridges.

Feel like it’s a bit too soon? This year marks the earliest opening of its Christmas Shop and the retailer chalks it up to demand.

“Our summer Christmas Shop launch simply addresses the growing demand for convenience Christmas shopping outside the traditional Christmas season from many of our customers,” Eleanor Gregory, Selfridges’ Christmas and home decor buyer, told Frobes.com.

Cristmas ornament in the likeness of David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust
Photo: Aaron Chown – PA Images/Contributor/Getty Images

Shoppers who drop by the Oxford Street flagship store in London can peruse the first phase of holiday offerings, including irreverent items such as a £100 ($160) figurine of Santa doing yoga and ornaments in the likeness of David Bowie (circa Ziggy Stardust), Prince and Frida Kahlo for £28 ($45).

“We have so many customers visiting from all over the world, eager to snap up festive decorations and souvenirs on their London summer holidays, which they can’t buy at home,” Gregory said.

And for those who won’t be making it to London this summer or anytime before the holidays, the Christmas Shop is also online.

The second phase — with 3,500 product lines in total — will open in September, still plenty of breathing room till Christmas. But getting the jump on holiday shopping is paying off for the company.

Last October, Selfridges reported its twelfth consecutive year of record sales, despite an ongoing downturn among British high street retailers. The early Christmas launch, which Selfridges does every year, is said to boost yearly sales. And “ongoing commercial success” is what Gregory attributed the move to make it even earlier this year.

The company, acquired in 2003 by the Weston family — of Loblaws and Canadian luxury chain Holt’s — was also voted the world’s best department store at the biennial Global Department Store Summits last year.