Biggest facelift in Harrods’ history
£200m overhaul to woo even more Chinese shoppers
harrODS will undergo its biggest-ever facelift as the luxury store spends £200m to attract more Chinese customers.
In the biggest single investment in its 180-year-history, owners Qatar holding will redevelop the shop’s 330 departments, covering a million square feet of floor space.
The food hall will be expanded, the internal layout will be improved to make it easier to get around, and a new, larger luxury watch room will be built, with a marble staircase, on the lower ground floor.
The overhaul comes after Chinese customers complained it was hard to find their way around the shop in Knightsbridge, West London.
Michael Ward, managing director of harrods, said: ‘ Visitors from across the world visit us for a magical retail experience, and we want to ensure that we are investing in providing the most luxurious shopping destination to each and every customer.’
Qatar holding bought harrods in 2010 for £ 1.5bn from egyptian tycoon Mohammed al-Fayed, who owned the department store for 25 years.
It has had several refurbishments in a bid to attract more tourists.
Last year, it unveiled a £20m revamp to its entrance hall which includes 16 sets of double escalators and a glass-domed roof.
The store will bid to improve the shopping experience in special areas. harrods has become a key destination for shoppers seeking out luxury watches – so this will get a refit.
an entire floor will be dedicated to menswear and sports, and the beauty hall will be expanded over two floors. Information about the range of produce in the food halls will also be increased, as this area is expanded.
Sales at harrods smashed the £2bn mark last year, boosted by international customers, particularly from China, who were taking advantage of the weaker pound after the Brexit vote. The Chinese spend £1 in every £5 spent at the store and hong Kong is its fastest-growing and largest market in South east asia.
harrods will direct some of the £200m investment towards its e- commerce business, pouring money into its existing accounts with two of China’s most popular social media platforms, Weibo and WeChat. It will also allow customers to pay for goods using Tencent-owned WeChat Pay from next year.
Ward said: ‘Our hong Kong and Chinese customers are extremely important to harrods, so are considered part of our redevelopment plans.
‘For us, the future is in the east and we have been focusing on that for a number of years.’