Exclusive | Harrods expands its e-commerce options, in effort to lure more Chinese shoppers
Three-year, £200 million revamp is biggest in store’s 180-year history. Chinese customers already account for a quarter of its international market
Harrods, London’s famous luxury department store, is planning the biggest revamp in its 180-year history as part of a £200 million (US$265 million) investment which is aimed partly at attracting more Hong Kong and Chinese customers, managing director Michael Ward told the South China Morning Post on Thursday.
He called the project the most ambitious investment and store renovation the iconic shoppers’ paradise has undertaken since it first opened its hallowed doors in 1834.
The three-year capital plan includes ploughing more money into its e-commerce offering to ensure the store remains popular for customers from around the world, especially from affluent Asian destinations, led by Hong Kong and China, said Ward.
“Our Hong Kong and Chinese customers are extremely important to Harrods so are considered part of our redevelopment plans,” he said in an interview with the Post.
“For us, the future is in the East and we have been focusing on that for a number of years.”
Sales to Harrods’ overseas customers are rising fast, and the Chinese became the store’s biggest spenders in February this year. Hong Kong is its largest Southeast Asian market and fastest growing.
