London Shopping Mecca, Harrods, Sold
The Georgian Restaurant at Harrods
Harrods owner, Mohamed Fayed, has sold the landmark emporium for a cool £1.5 billion to Qatari Holdings (i.e. the royal family of Qatar). Explaining that he wants to spend more time with his children and grandchildren, the larger than life character, Fayed, will no longer storm the aisles twice daily.
An immigrant magnate that got his start in retail selling oranges in the souks of Alexandria, Egypt managed to build a store/empire that’s as synonymous with the UK as Buckingham’s stoic guards. His colorful (and sometimes off-color) personality has only added to the colossal legend of the store. Known for his flock of blonde-clone assistants, being the only man in the 21st century who still rocks a cravat and for his unfortunate vendetta against the Royal family’s alleged “conspiracy” to whack his son, Dodi.
Will Fayed’s morose shrine to Dodi and Princess Diana remain along with the Borocco Tea Room? Only time can tell how this institution of British luxury will weather the change of ownership. Harrods has been distinguished not only by its owner’s shrewd business sense, but also the unmatched passion of a self-made man. I can’t help but worry that something will be lost with the departure of the retailer’s patriarch.
I was lucky enough to visit Harrods, at the age of five, on a family vacation. My parents took me to high tea at the Georgian Restaurant. I thought I’d died and gone to heaven, it was utterly luxurious and I can remember thinking that this is what my life had been missing. As the daughter of a confirmed health zealot, I was only allowed the occasional sweet, but at Harrod’s my travel weary, jet-lagged parents allowed me to gorge on as many cookies and cakes as I pleased. And I took full advantage. It was the beginning of my lifelong pursuit of all things fine and I can only hope that it remains unchanged so I can expose my own children to the spectacle that is Harrods some day.
