Harrods, the most popular department store in London, has served UK as well as international shoppers for the past 177 years. Harrods houses over 330 departments in an over one million square foot store! (Note that Selfridges, the second biggest department store in London, is less than half of the size of Harrods.) On popular shopping days, up to 300,000 customers visit the store, welcomed by more than 5,000 employees.
HISTORY
Harrods began as a single room retail store, in the same location Harrods is currently in, selling medicines and perfumes, as well as fresh fruits and vegetables. As Harrods grew under Charles Digby Harrod it acquired the surrounding buildings, creating the massive space Harrods owns today.
In 1898, Harrods brought the escalator to England. After ascending the woven leather conveyor unit, shoppers were served brandy to calm them after their overwhelming experience!
Harrods is currently owned by Qatar Investment Authority, which purchased the company for £1.5 billion from Mohamed Al-Fayed.
STORE OVERVIEW
Harrods literally has everything. They have clothes for everyone, men, women and children alike, as well as jewelry, accessories and electronics. Staying true to the original store, Harrods also houses a vast amount of food, medicines, and beauty items. Furniture and home appliances are not left out either. To top it all off, Harrods even sells bars of gold at Harrods Bank.
Harrods is so huge it is overwhelming. Upon entering I was faced with a swarm of customers surround this lovely man at the MAC counter advertising their glitter and ice collection.
Next I had to ask a store clerk for a guide to navigate though this maze. Essentially the breakdown is as follows: 24 restauants and bars are dispersed throughout the store with Menswear on the bottom, Beauty one floor above, then Womenswear, Home goods and gifts, Furniture, Children’s departments, and finally Sports equipment and Hair & Beauty services on the top floor.
MY JOURNEY THROUGH HARRODS
The Lower Ground floor of Menswear also includes Men’s shoes, Opticians, Personal Shopping, Harrods Bank, Handbags, Gifts & Stationary, the Pharmacy, and The Wine Shop. There are obviously a huge amount of options for men, but what I was most impressed by was how highly edited the collections were. There were enough choices for any style, but not too many pieces to overwhelm and confuse you, as a study abroad student in London mentions in his interview.
Only the best of the best were on the racks in the Men’s department. Designers included Vivienne Westwood, Michael Kors, and Ralph Lauren (featured below).
Moving up, the Ground floor featured one of the shiniest MAC ads, as mentioned above, as well as every perfume I have ever heard of. The display for the new luxurious Velvet Collection by Dolce & Gabanna and the huge, spinning Chanel No.5 bottle, were some of the highlights.
The Ground floor also houses the food markets (read about them here) and the new Fine Watch Room. With 35 watch brands, ranging from Omega to Breguet to Philip Stein, just to name a few, and 13 individual brand boutiques, Harrods’ new Fine Watch Room is the largest watch collection in Europe. Though the sales clerk I spoke to desired to remain anonymous and requested to not to be featured in video form, she was bubbling with excitement about the new layout of the department and the recent surge in demand for Fine Watches. She mentioned that this Fine Watch Room is one of, if not the most, exciting and popular departments at Harrods today. (Note: None of the employees at Harrods were allowed to be videotaped for interviews.)
Moving up the building, when I got off the elevator on the first floor I entered into a sea of crystal encrusted floor length gowns and elegant backless numbers. Intricate ensembles stood at center stage.
Designers included Monique Lhuillier, Jenny Packham (see below), Marchesa, Badgely Mischka, and more in these luxurious rooms.
In the contemporary collections, Just Cavalli, D&G, and Red Valentino filled the racks. The displays fit the clothes, more elegant velvet and draperies in the eveningwear rooms, while more modern and nature-inspired for everyday wear.
And that was only the beginning. Next came the “Shoe Boudoir,” essentially heaven in a dark and mirrored venue.
There was a whole room dedicated to Christian Louboutins, from cobalt blue small wedges (perfect for adding a pop of color to a black and white outfit) to this completely ridiculous fur masterpiece:
And when I thought there could not be more shoes, I found The Shoe Salon, with more contemporary footwear from Hunter, Tory Burch, Stuart Weitzman, and much much more.
Just getting through this part of the journey was exhausting, but even if I had to drag my feet I knew I needed to make it to the children’s department on the fourth floor. The fourth floor is a childhood dreamland. Not only is there Children’s designerwear, but also there is, the super necessary, children’s international designerwear, ranging from Paul Smith Junior to Christian Dior (see below), and Moncler to Roberto Cavalli. Formalwear, shoes and lifestyle boutiques round out the children’s clothing departments. Essentially, there is every outfit imaginable for infants to 16 year olds at Harrods. But, what really draws the tots in are the several toy rooms with remote control cars, soft toys, and dolls galore.
Harrods is a mecca for clothing. They have everything, following their motto, “oimnia oimnibus ubique,” all things for all people, everywhere.
My only disappointment in my journey was the extremely sub-divided floor plans, contrasting the open floor plans common in New York City department stores. I understand the need to divide shoes from clothes, but to sub-divide between every few designers in international designer eveningwear makes the store maze-like and a bit overwhelming to navigate. Indeed the Shoe Boudoir is a wonderful escape into the world of masterful heels and exotic skins, but the dark and divided rooms, with mirrors that could be confused for doors, are a little dizzying to maneuver though.
Nevertheless, I loved my trip exploring Harrods. Once you got out of the Ground Floor rush, you could shop with relative peace, and non-pushy staff. I wish I had more time in London to go back again!
Style in Spain 