Harrods is facing the prospect of further legal action over claims its former owner, Mohamed Al-Fayed, raped and assaulted female employees of the luxury London department store.
The claims surfaced in a BBC documentary and podcast which claims that Harrods knew about the abuse and helped to cover it up during his ownership.
The current owners said they are “appalled” by the allegations, adding that while it cannot undo the past, it is determined to do the right thing as an organisation. It has already settled several claims regarding Mr Al-Fayed’s behaviour and said the process remains available for other employees.
“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,” the management said.
The store, which is not asking the women to sign non-disclosure agreements, added: “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. This process is still available for any current or former Harrods employees.
“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.
“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.”
The BBC documentary heard the testimony of more than 20 women, at least four of whom say they were raped.
The Egyptian-born billionaire, who died last year aged 94, faced multiple sexual allegations when he was alive but claims of an “unprecedented scale and seriousness” have come to light in the new documentary.
Many other women are reported to be considering raising claims. Gemma, who worked as one of Mr Al-Fayed’s personal assistants from 2007 to 2009, used a lawyer to leave her job after being raped by Mr Al Fayed. The store said she could leave if she signed an NDA and agreed to the shredding of evidence, including recordings of him assaulting her. It also paid her a sum of money.
“I waited a long time for him to die, hoping that would be the closure I got. But actually I felt angry,” she said, adding that she had been too frightened to talk to the police when Mr Al-Fayed was alive.
“He felt like such a powerful man, with so much money and so many professional people around him that were facilitating everything he did, from doctors to security guards, legal teams, the HR department. It just felt like little me from a small town outside London was never going to stand a chance against him,” she said.
Mohamed Al Fayed – in pictures
He would assault the women in his offices, his apartment or on foreign trips. Maria Mulla, a barrister representing some of the women, said they wanted justice. “They want to be part of this movement of holding people accountable for what has happened to them, and trying to make sure these things don't happen again in the future for their own children and for their children,” she said.
Sophia, who worked as Mr Al-Fayed's personal assistant from 1988 to 1991, told the BBC he tried to rape her more than once. She said it made her angry that people remember him as gregarious. “It's not how he was,” she added.
Social ambitions
Mr Al-Fayed was once among the most high-profile businessmen in Britain, at one stage owning Fulham Football Club, as well as Harrods and the Paris Ritz.
He featured in Netflix drama The Crown, which portrayed him as a domineering figure in the life of his eldest son, Dodi, who he controlled with money. Dodi was involved in a relationship with Diana, Princess of Wales, when they died in a car crash in Paris in 1997.
The show touched on Mr Al-Fayed's upbringing in Egypt, charting his rise from a Coca-Cola seller on the streets of Alexandria to a charismatic businessman with interests across Europe and the Middle East, as well as an ostentatious social climber who revered the British royal family.
The show explored this fascination, which led him to renovate the villa in France where the Duke of Windsor had lived, befriend and hire the former king’s valet, and splash out on polo club memberships to get a seat near the queen.
However, his efforts were never enough to become part of the inner circle, and he never received the British citizenship he sought.
