Harrods

Harrods is known for its world-famous department store with an exceptional and high-quality product range, catering to upmarket and international clientele. The retailer has eight airport shops in the UK, as well as its flagship London store and a new store in China. Founded in 1849 by Charles Henry Harrod, the London store has grown to span over a 1 million sq feet of selling space over seven floors, with 330 departments. The business was sold in 2010 for a reported £1.5bn to Qatar Holding, the sovereign wealth fund of the Qatari royal family. Since 1989, the department store has enforced a dress code for customers, reserving the right to refuse entry to anyone sporting inappropriate or revealing clothing including flip-flops or tracksuits. Harrods is looking to take advantage of rising tourist demand by investing £200m into a three-year store redevelopment plan and it is establishing a wider social media presence in Asia to target the rising young middle class in the region. Alongside this, it is investing in technology and has partnered with Farfetch to develop a global ecommerce platform for launch in 2020.