Ex-Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed is accused of having raped at least five of his employees and sexually abused at least 100 during his tenure as the luxury department store’s boss
The owners of Harrods have apologised after amid allegations of sexual abuse against female staff by the former holder of the luxury London department store Mohamed Al Fayed came to light – but who are they and how long have they owned it?
More than 37 women came forward to accused Fayed of rape and sexual abuse during his ownership of the Knightsbridge department store. Fayed, who died last year aged 94, was likened to serial sexual abusers Jimmy Saville, Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein by barrister Dean Armstrong KC who is representing the women.
Fayed sold Harrods to the investment company of the Qatari royal family in a deal that is understood to be worth about £1.5 billion pounds in 2010. It is now run as the company Harrods UK Ltd and Companies House lists Daniel Jonathan Webster and James Philip Healey as its current secretary and director, respectively.
After the allegations were made public, Harrods said in a statement: “We are utterly appalled by the allegations of abuse perpetrated by Mohamed Al Fayed. These were the actions of an individual who was intent on abusing his power wherever he operated and we condemn them in the strongest terms.
“We also acknowledge that during this time as a business we failed our employees who were his victims, and for this we sincerely apologise. The Harrods of today is a very different organisation to the one owned and controlled by Al Fayed between 1985 and 2010, it is one that seeks to put the welfare of our employees at the heart of everything we do.
“This is why, since new information came to light in 2023 about historic allegations of sexual abuse by Al Fayed, it has been our priority to settle claims in the quickest way possible, avoiding lengthy legal proceedings for the women involved.
“This process is still available for any current or former Harrods employees. While we cannot undo the past, we have been determined to do the right thing as an organisation, driven by the values we hold today, while ensuring that such behaviour can never be repeated in the future.”
A BBC documentary claimed Fayed raped five women and attempted to silence his alleged victims. At least 100 women are feared to have been sexually abused by him over decades in what was described as one of the worst cases of corporate sexual exploitation that “perhaps the world has ever seen.”
Barrister Bruce Drummond previously told a press conference: “This is one of the worst cases of corporate sexual exploitation that certainly I, and perhaps the world has ever seen. It was absolutely horrific and I can’t stress that word enough.”
He added: “This should never have happened and Harrods must accept responsibility for the damage these women have suffered.”