Introduction
Since the store first opened its doors in 1849, Harrods has always prided
itself on a reputation for excellence. Since its birth,
Harrods has continued to seek out the finest quality merchandise, providing an
outstanding level of service for each and every customer.
But this is just part of the Harrods story. The store is much more
than a shopping destination, more than just a splendid building. Its story is
tied up in the people who have passed through its doors, worked here, written
about it and added to its magnificent architecture.
The Early Days
The Harrods story started in 1834 in London’s
East End. With a special interest in tea; founder Charles
Henry Harrod set up as a wholesale grocer in Stepney. To escape the
filth of the inner city – and capitalise on trade to the Great Exhibition of
1851 in nearby Hyde Park – in 1849 Harrod took over a small shop
in the new district of Knightsbridge on the site of the current store.
From a single room employing two assistants and a messenger boy;
Harrod’s son Charles Digby built up the business into a thriving store selling
medicines, perfumes, stationery, fruit and vegetables. Consequently expanding into the
adjoining buildings and employing 100 staff by 1880.
But the store’s booming fortunes changed in 1883, when it burnt to
the ground in early December. With true Harrods mettle, Charles Digby fulfilled
all the Christmas deliveries and made a record profit for the store. A new
building immediately rose from the ashes, and soon it extended credit for the
first time to its best customers – among them Oscar Wilde and legendary
actresses Lilly Langtry and Ellen Terry.