Harrods Ltd

Sectors:

  • Financial services Commercial private banking services
  • Distribution - retailing Department store retailing
  • Transport services Furniture removal & storage services
  • Distribution - retailing Mail order & catalogue retailing

Notes:

Traced origins to Charles Harrod, b1800, who in 1834 established a wholesale grocers and tea dealers business in Stepney, London. 1853 acquired grocery business in Knightsbridge which grew rapidly and diversified from the 1860s as Harrods Stores. Sold by Harrod family to Harrod's Stores Ltd in 1889 when a large and fashionable department store and came under direction of (Sir) Richard Burbidge, d1917, from 1891. Premises extended and rebuilt from mid 1890s. 1912 established a store in Buenos Aires. Acquired other department stores including Dickins & Jones Ltd of Regents Street in 1914, Kendal Milne & Co Ltd of Manchester in 1919, Swan & Edgar Ltd of Piccadilly in 1920. Renamed Harrods Ltd 1920. Also by 1920s undertook manufacturing and food processing, storage, mail order and banking. 1928 acquired D H Evans & Co Ltd of Oxford Street, in 1946 John Walsh Ltd of Sheffield, in 1949 William Henderson & Sons Ltd of Liverpool and in 1955 Rackhams of Birmingham. 1959 acquired by House of Fraser Ltd which in 1985 was acquired by Fayed Brothers. They floated the business in 1994 retaining the Harrods store. This in due course was acquired in 2010 by Qatar Holdings, the sovereign wealth fund of the State of Qatar. Continuing in 2023 [2023]

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