Embattled department store Harrods is in the process of dealing with over 250 claims for compensation being bought against it by former employees alleging historic sexual misconduct against former owner Mohamed Al Fayed.
Speaking to the BBC, Harrods said the women have come forward since the release of a documentary detailing Al Fayed’s alleged misconduct, which was broadcast last month.
The department store has set up a compensation fund for survivors, which is separate from any costs it will incur from a lawsuit being brought against it by several law firms.
The Justice for Harrods Survivors group said the firms were representing 147 women but it is unclear what overlap there is between those pursuing legal action and those seeking compensation from the retailer directly.
Al Fayed owned Harrods between 1985 and 2010 and has been accused of multiple counts of rape and attempted rape by women who previously worked for him. Al Fayed died, aged 94, in 2023.
The department store is now owned by Harrods Ltd, a company owned by the state of Qatar via its sovereign wealth fund the Qatar Investment Authority.
The current owners have said they are “appalled” at the allegations and have been investigating whether any current staff members were involved in any way since 2023.
The earliest allegations of abuse date back to 1977, eight years before Al Fayed bought Harrods.
Since the BBC programme aired there has been a focus on the extent to which others who worked at Harrods over the years may have been aware of his behaviour.
Last month, Harrods managing director Michael Ward said he was “not aware” of allegations of abuse against Al Fayed and that he was “deeply sorry” for “failing colleagues” at the retailer. He expressed his own “personal horror” at the abuse.
