Harrods

Harrods is an upmarket department store on Brompton Road in Knightsbridge, London, England. Apart from the store, the Harrods Group of companies includes Harrods Bank, Harrods Estates, Harrods Casino, Harrods Aviation and Air Harrods. more...

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The store occupies a 4.5 acre site and has over 1 million square feet (over 92,000 square metres) of selling space. The Harrods motto is Omnia Omnibus Ubique - All Things, For All People, Everywhere. Several of its departments, including the seasonal Christmas department and Food Hall are world famous for the abundance and quality of goods on offer. The nearest tube station to the flagship store is Knightsbridge on the fashionable street of that name, so Harrods called itself "Harrods of Knightsbridge", and effectively expanded Knightsbridge to include itself. Mohamed Al-Fayed who bought the store in 1985 for £615 million is the current Harrods owner

History

Harrods began in London's poor East End just before Queen Victoria's reign. In 1835, Charles Henry Harrod, a tea merchant and grocery wholesaler, started his own shop opposite his home in Stepney. Harrod was worried by a cholera epidemic sweeping London and he knew a businessman who wanted to get out of a lease on a grocery shop near Knightsbridge. The shop was moved in 1849 to what was then semi-rural Brompton Road.

As Knightsbridge was built up, Harrods grew with it and several adjoining buildings were taken over by the store.

Mission Statement:

To be the number one department store in the world for luxury branded merchandise maintaining an unprecedented level of retail standards, expertise and profitability.

Through a combination of product, innovation and eccentricity, we aim to provide every customer with a truly unforgettable experience in our quintessentially British environment.

1861 - Harrods undergoes a transformation when it was taken over by Harrod's son, Charles Digby Harrod.; December 6, 1883, fire gutted the shop buildings, giving the family the opportunity to rebuild on a grander scale.; 1889 - Charles Digby Harrod retired, Harrods was floated on the London Stock Exchange under the name Harrod's Stores Limited.; 1912 - Harrods opened its only foreign branch in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The store was modeled on the Knightsbridge store. It continued to be associated with the parent store until the 1950s when links were severed. It continues to trade under the Harrods name.;

1959 - House of Fraser bought Harrods.; 1983 - IRA bomb kills six people.; 1985 - The store was bought by the al-Fayed brothers in 1985 for £615 million, since then the selling space has enlarged to include previously staff-only and storage areas in the basement and top floors. He was supposed to sell back to House of Fraser, but did not.; 1994 - House of Fraser and Harrods demerged. Harrods remains under ownership of Al-Fayed family whereas House of Fraser is floated on stock exchange.;

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