Located on Brompton Road in Knightsbridge, the store is actually in fact now owner by the state of Qatar. It was founded in 1834 – 184 years ago – by Charles Henry Harrod at the tender age of twenty five, however the store didn’t move to the Knightsbridge area until 1849. . It covers 1.1 million square feet of retail space. It has the motto ‘Omnia Omnibus Ubique’ which means ‘all things for all people, everywhere’ which is a lovely sentiment for a department store.
The store is so prestigious that many people choose to visit day in and day out – from those who live in the UK to tourists visiting the capital city for just a few days or weeks. But did you know much about its history?
As mentioned, the store was started many, many years ago by Charles Henry Harrod before being taken over in 1861 by his son Charles Digby Harrod. On the 6th of December 1883, fire gutted the shop buildings so the family decided to rebuild on a much grander scale. The rebuild starts in 1894 but is finally completed in 1905 to the design of Charles William Stephens, an architect. Harrods then begins to open foreign branches and buying up other department stores across the country and is bought and sold a few different times by owners.
The Christmas food hall is amazing
The food section in Harrods is absolutely amazing – so many delicious treats to see and eat. But if you are really looking for a special experience, make sure to visit at Christmas. The food hall is absolutely incredible and somewhere lots of my friends always make sure to visit.
They stock all the biggest brands
Much as you would expect a department store to do so, Harrods feature many of the world’s biggest brands when it comes to designer clothing, food and accessories.
There is so much that the kids can look at in the store. A lot of the toys are rare and quite pricey but they are great and just the items that children will be interested in. Did you know about the massive LEGO collection that they have there?
Pick up one of their very own line of British teddy bears
Did you know that Harrods sell their own line of British teddy bears? They have such adorable outfits and would be great to own.
There are so many other reasons that you should visit Harrods but these are just a few – have you ever visited before? If not and you do to choose to visit such a prestigious store and are planning on staying in the city overnight, why not stay at the Montcalm London Marble Arch? It is a beautiful 5 star hotel, located close by, which have numerous Trip Advisor awards and fantastic customer feedback. Just what you need when checking out such iconic places such as Harrods.
*Collaborative post **