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Takeover Makeover
During the 1980s, Harrods found itself feeling outmoded despite the
toy rooms being expanded and moved to the fourth floor. It was only when the
Fayed family acquired the House of Fraser Group for £615 million that Harrods
became a family-owned firm once again and the store’s fortunes began to turn.
Mohamed Al Fayed assumed the title of Chairman and instantly inititated a £300
million refurbishment plan to restore Harrods to its former glory.
His master plan included opening up the lower ground floor to
contemporary men’s fashion, a new floor devoted to sports, lavish marble-clad
rooms of luxury accessories and a £30 million computerised Distribution Centre
to speed up shipments. But the grand centrepiece was the Egyptian Escalator, a
magnificent £20 million homage to ancient Egypt,
designed alongside experts from the British Museum for authenticity.
Since that time, the store has constantly been upgraded and
improved. After a £6 million overhaul, the Hair & Beauty department was
reborn as Urban Retreat, Europe’s largest health and beauty salon; £4 million
was lavished on the Cosmetics Hall to create London’s premier beauty
destination; the store’s personal shopping service has been relaunched as the
premium By Appointment and fans of the store can carry their own Harrods credit
card all over the world.
Changing Fortunes
Harrods is very much a city within a city. Covering 4.5 acres, with
over 1 million square feet of selling space, the store generates 70% of its own
electricity from its own generators, draws water from its three artesian wells
– the deepest of which is 489 ft – and operates 40 lifts that cover 39,800
miles per year. The switchboard takes 7,000 calls a day, and the famous facade
is picked out by 12,000 lightbulbs – of which 300 a day are changed by the
store’s electrical engineers.
Impressive though budgets and statistics are, Harrods is made up of
more than just figures: its pure magic that sets the store apart from others.
Where else can you stumble across a £1 million pair of diamond-encrusted shoes
or purchase a £250,000 Madame Tussaud’s waxwork of yourself?
During the 1970s, you’d find Dave Prowse – the original Darth Vader
– working as a fitness consultant in the sports department, while future 007
Pierce Brosnan was serving on the counter in the Harrods Pharmacy. Who knows
what the sales associates serving today will go on to achieve?
The energy of store today comes across in the unexpected. For a
taster opera singers performing arias up the Egyptian Escalators, Joan Collins
signing her latest book, or Donatella Versace launching her newest fragrance in
person.
But the unexpected also comes from attention to every detail in
every department. Whether you are booking theatre tickets, having a facial,
ordering sashimi or choosing from the 300 varieties of cheese; Harrods will
make shopping not just a chore or a pastime, but an experience.
Harrods has remained London's premier retail outlet for over 155 years, yet the fundamental ethic of selling quality merchandise and giving customers exemplary service has never been questioned or compromised.
At Harrods, truly anything is possible.