Harrods is to offer personal shopping for some of its most valuable customers as a first step towards reopening.

Harrods employees at its famous Knightsbridge shop will take orders over the phone and by smartphone messaging, The Mail on Sunday reported.

The service, described as  “remote clienteling”, is expected to begin on May 18 and Harrods said it will be built upon the “one-on-one relationships that our retail colleagues have with customers”. 

Only a “very small number” of Harrods’ 5,000 staff would be required to introduce the personal shopping service, observing rules on social distancing. 

The initiative would allow Harrods to gauge whether the service could be extended.

A Harrods spokesman told the newspaper: “We are exploring technology to scale as required ahead of being able to phase to inviting customers back in store.”

Departments of the store in which it would be easiest to ensure social distancing are likely to reopen first.

The spokesman said: “Timings for this will naturally be dictated by government guidance. 

“We are taking this opportunity to explore, to test and to learn how we as a business adapt to changing circumstances. But every decision we make will be guided by our commitment to safety.”