Harrods

Harrods is an exclusive department store that was started in 1834 on the Brompton Road in Knightsbridge, London, England. The store was founded by Charles Henry Harrod, initially as a wholesale grocer in Stepney. Harrod’s son Charles Digby decided to turn this store into a full flourished business and soon the store started selling medicines, fruits, vegetables, perfumes and stationery, and it expanded into the neighbouring buildings, employing 100 staff by 1880. In 1989, the Harrods store became a public company. In 1898, Richard Burbidge, new managing director of the store, introduced the world’s first escalator. The store during the 1900’s became London’s stylish store after which writer Arnold Bennett based his novel Hugo.

Other companies that use the Harrods brand name today are Harrods Bank, Harrods Casino, Harrods Estates, Air Harrods and Harrods Aviation. The store’s motto is ’Everything for Everybody Everywhere’. The store covers 4.5 acres with 1 million square feet of selling space. The store not only generates 70 percent of it's own electricity, but also draws water from it's three artesian wells.

Harrods has become one of London’s oldest and most reputed stores today. One can find anything from gift items, beauty products as well as products for men, women and children, toys, sports items, home and garden products, food and wine. Some of the famous regular customers of Harrods include Oscar Wilde, Ellen Terry, Sigmund Freud and members of the British royal family, among others. Harrods products are available online.