Harrods Department Store
Harrods is a luxury goods department store found in Brompton Road in Knightsbridge, London.
The store – if you can still call it just “a store” - occupies a whopping four and a half acres of London land. The Harrods selling space covers – get this - over one million square feet. It is one of the two largest department stores in the world (the other one being Macy’s of New York). This makes Harrods the largest in the United Kingdom (next to it is Selfridges in Oxford which is a mere quarter of the Harrods selling space).
The department store’s motto is a Latin phrase: Omnia Omnibus Ubique. In English that means All Things for All People, Everywhere. All things yes, but for all people, maybe.
Harrods is a bastion of style and exquisite taste – translated that means expensive. The department store caters to the rich, but all are welcome to enjoy the experience. Some say you can stay in Harrods for hours without really buying anything and still pass hours and hours just looking at stuff.
One of the best places to stay in Harrods is their world famous Food Hall. I can guarantee that you won’t leave without buying anything. From chocolates to marmalades, to teas and biscuits – you can buy them one piece at a time for personal consumption or you can buy them as gift sets and officially turn them into souvenirs. As of the moment, the cheapest gift set is the Harrods Heritage Conserve Set priced at 6.95. The most expensive one is the Harrods Belgian Gold Ballotin at 29.95.
Then, of course, there are the brand boutiques. All the world’s most popular and luxuriously expensive brands are found in Harrods: Dior, DKNY, Elizabeth Arden, Emilio Pucci, Emporia Armani, Givenchy, and Juicy Couture.
Aside from the boutiques, the department store holds all the other brands known to man.
Then there’s the Harrods brand – which is itself already rich in history and exclusivity.
History
Harrods was established in 1834 in London’s East End. Its founder, Charles Henry Harrod owned a wholesale grocery in Stepney – then one of the area’s only two districts. Fifteen years later, during the Great Exhibition world fair of 1851 (put up in nearby Hyde Park), Charles Harrod set up another small shop in the district of Knightsbridge. He wanted to take a chance on the opportunity brought about by the Great Exhibition. It was good decision.
Soon thereafter, the business grew. What started as a single room run by four people – Harrod, two assistants and a messenger boy who happened to be Harrod’s son Charles –eventually grew into a whole building. By 1880, he was already employing 100 people. They started by selling tea (which was the first grocery’s specialty), perfumes, stationery, medicines fruit, and vegetables.
The store then got burned down three years later. But instead of being a disaster, it turned out to be a blessing. After rebuilding from the ground up (this time making an even bigger store), Harrod recorded profits that same year that he hadn’t had in his whole career of retail selling. How he pulled it off, no one knows. Soon Harrods was even extending credit to its best customers – some of which are Oscar Wilde, Sigmund Freud, and the British Royal Family.
The image above depicts a common scene back in the day.
One hundred years later, the al-Fayed brothers (Mohamed, Ali, and Salah) bought the Harrods department store for 615 million pounds. Up until now, the family serves as the owners of the department store.
Departments
There are a total of 330 different departments in Harrods. To name a few: clothing (further grouped into women, men, children, and infants wear), electronics, jewelry, sports goods, bridal trousseau, pets and pet accessories, toys, food and drinks, health and beauty items, packaged gifts, stationery, house wares, home appliances, furniture, etc. It’s true that Harrods has everything.
There are also a total of 28 restaurants inside – grouped into easy eateries: Pizzeria, Krispy Kreme, East Dulwich Deli, Morelli’s Gelato, The Green Man Pub, Rotisserie, Harrods Crêperie, and Illy L’Espresso; family friendly: Dress Circle Restaurant, Mo’s Diner, Planet Harrods, Harry Morgan Deli, Harrods Chocolate Bar (definitely a must try!), and Bagel Factory; and finally something sophisticated: Champagne & Oyster Bar, Ladurée tea room, Sea Grill, Tapas Bar, Terrace Bar, Café Punch, Caffè Expresso, Bar Charcuterie, The Georgian Restaurant, Ishbilia, and Sushi Bar.
Aside from the aforementioned Food Hall, other famous departments are the Egyptian Hall (the al-Fayed brothers came from Egypt), the Room of Luxury, the Urban Retreat Spa, and the Pet Department.
Of course, there’s the seasonal Christmas department that people from all over the world must come and attend at least once in their lives.
Also, be sure to check out the Princess Diana / Dodi al-Fayed tribute statues.
How to Get There
Harrods is found at 87-135 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7XL. The nearest tube station to the store is Knightsbridge. An entrance to the station is positioned adjacent to Harrods. You can contact them at 0 207 730 1234.
Please be sure to dress smart before entering the store since the guards strictly implement their dress code.
May 23rd, 2008 at 12:39 pm
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