Harrods news and archive

Harrods promotes retail director to chief retail officer

British department store Harrods has named Mark Blundell as chief retail officer. The appointment reflects a promotion for Blundell, who had been serving as the company’s retail director since 2022. Blundell had first joined Harrods in 2018 as head of retail, after serving in a number of leadership roles at John Lewis Partnership and Waitrose....

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Harrods marketing head moves to Dior

Gerard Duran, the head of marketing at Harrods, has announced his departure from the British department store. He will instead be taking up a role at LVMH-owned Christian Dior Couture, thus relocating to Paris, France. Duran took up the helm of Harrods’ marketing team in March 2022, overseeing all of the retailer’s divisions for brand strategy,...

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Fashion

Harrods buyer impressed by Chanel and Dior debuts at PFW SS26

Paris Fashion Week spring/summer 2026, which took place from September 29 to October 7, saw debuts at Chanel, Dior, and Balenciaga, and delivered a season of “extraordinary reset,” according to Simon Longland, director of buying for fashion at luxury British department store Harrods. Longland told FashionUnited over e-mail: “Paris offered a...

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Business

Harrods Group: 2024 was a “year of stable trade”

Harrods Group, which includes the luxury Knightsbridge department store and online business, as well as its airport concessions, its H Beauty stores and the export of Harrods-branded merchandise, has reported a 17 percent decline in operating profit year-on-year to 177.7 million pounds for the 52 weeks to February 1, 2025. In its FY2024...

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Fashion |In Pictures

Romantic gowns, dramatic tailoring: Highlights of LFW according to Harrods’ buying director

With London Fashion Week SS26 officially wrapped, attention now turns to buyers across retail as they review the collections at hand and decide where to go from here. Among those is Simon Longland, director of buying for fashion at department store giant Harrods, who shared his impressions of the week and reflected on London’s evolving position...

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Retail

Bold, brilliant, blue: How 2027's colour of the year sets a new standard for brand activations

There's something undeniably magnetic about a bold, saturated colour when it takes over a physical space, and WGSN's Colour of the Year for 2027, Luminous Blue, proves this in spectacular fashion. Described as "both mysterious and eccentric," this rich, potent blue has become a beacon for brands daring enough to wield colour as a full-bodied...

Retail|In Pictures

Fendi opens permanent shoe boutique in Harrods

Italian luxury brand Fendi has opened a permanent footwear boutique in London’s luxury department store Harrods. Located on the fifth floor within the retailer’s ‘Shoe Heaven,’ the 430 square foot Fendi footwear boutique has been designed to showcase the brand’s women’s shoes, leather goods and accessories in a space inspired by the contours and...

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Four youths arrested for cyberattacks on British retailers

The UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) has arrested four suspects in connection with cyberattacks on well-known British retailers Marks & Spencer (M&S), Co-op and Harrods. The attacks took place in April of this year and caused significant financial disruption to the businesses. The four suspects remain in custody and are being questioned by the...

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Fashion

PFW Men’s SS26 was “grounded in real clothes designed for real lives”

Paris Fashion Week Men’s spring/summer 2026, which took place from June 24 to 29, felt optimistic while being “both contemporary and human,” according to Simon Longland, fashion buying director at British luxury department store Harrods. “There was a rare sense of cohesion this season in Paris - designers appeared unusually aligned in their...

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Walpole names Fortnum & Mason CEO as chair

Luxury trade association Walpole has named Tom Athron as its new chair, a role he will take up from July 1. Athron, who currently serves as chief executive of Fortnum & Mason, will succeed Michael Ward, managing director of Harrods, who is stepping down after finishing the maximum tenure of nine years. Ward will continue on in the newly created...

Fashion

MFW Men's SS26 showcased a “lifestyle-led approach to dressing”

Milan Men’s Fashion Week spring/summer 2026, which took place from June 20 to 24, was “less about trends and more about lifestyle,” according to Simon Longland, fashion buying director at Harrods. “With several key players absent from the official schedule, this edition of Milan Men’s Fashion Week relied heavily on presentations,” said Longland...

Retail|In Pictures

Schiaparelli doubles footprint at Harrods in London

Haute couture and ready-to-wear fashion house Schiaparelli has doubled the size of its shop-in-shop at luxury department store Harrods in London to increase its brand presence in the UK. The new apartment-like boutique, located on the first floor of the Knightsbridge department store, has been expanded to 2,390 square feet and redesigned to...