Retail Latin America: HARRODS CRISIS: Is The World's Most Famous Store Going Downhill?

I was in London recently, so I stopped by Harrods.

Harrods is the most famous store in the world, so it's not something you miss.

And Harrods is also under new ownership.

In 2010, the Egyptian mogul Mohamed Al-Fayed sold Harrods to Qatar for $1.5 billion.

The deal was a big deal. Only a couple of weeks earlier, Al-Fayed had bristled when asked whether he would ever sell Harrods. Then the Prime Minister of Qatar showed up with his checkbook. And, just like that, London's iconic and historic shopping mecca got flipped to another foreign investor.

So now that Qatar owns Harrods, the obvious question is...

Is Qatar ruining Harrods?

Based on the crowds that filled the place when I was there, the answer appears to be 'no.'

But some long-time Harrods watchers I know lament the state of the place. Harrods has gone downhill, they say. Harrods has become less unique. Harrods has become, well, just another department store.

I'm no Harrods expert, so I'll let you all weigh in on this. I did spend some time in the Harrods famous food halls with my camera, though. So I've got some visuals to share.

Those food halls, I must say, certainly seemed plenty unusual and impressive to me...

2013/04/02

HARRODS CRISIS: Is The World's Most Famous Store Going Downhill?

Right now, there's some sort of "Dior" exhibit.

So Harrods has built a "London Eye" facsimile Ferris wheel using little bottles of Dior perfume.

There's also a "Tower Bridge" with floating handbags and double-decker buses carrying shoes. (I incorrectly thought this was "London Bridge")

But enough about the windows. When you walk in, Harrods looks like your dime-a-dozen New York fashion store.

There's a Miu Miu boutique right at the front, for example.

But what makes Harrods Harrods isn't the fashion. It's the combination of fashion with everything else. Harrods' motto is "Omnia Omnibus Ubique" ("All Things for All People, Everywhere"). And that "all things" includes food.

Harrods aficionados say that walking into Harrods' food halls used to be an over-the-top wow experience. One, recalling the Harrods of her childhood, describes "a tree made out of fish." So it is this standard that long-time Harrods fans compare today's version to.

The first thing I saw when I walked into Harrods's food halls was a massive football-sized lobe of foie gras. So that was a promising start.

It was in the "Iranian Caviar" section. I didn't even know that Iran made caviar.

You can buy plates for your caviar at Harrods, too, by the way. They're gigantic scallop shells.

Then there is the "lamb" department. In addition to ribs and racks, it appeared to include what looked like a nearly whole lamb (minus head and feet)

Next door was the beef. The display case included this massive hunk of something called "Black Gold" that sells for about $20 a pound.

The counters are manned by sharp-looking gents and ladies in porkpie hats.

Across the room is the fish department. And more dudes with hats.

The fish section displayed all the usual fish. Along with some "King Scallops." And that England specialty, Dover Sole (in the middle, next to the scallops. I've never seen one with a head).

There's a whole section of the fish department dedicated to crustaceans.

Langoustines, bien sur.

And something called "gambas."

Buckets o' shelled mussels, oysters, clams, etc.

And, of course, you don't just have to shop at Harrods. You can also eat there. In this meat+fish food hall alone, there were 5 restaurants. There was the Oyster Bar...

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