Despite its world-famous Food Halls, Harrods is not associated with dining. The Knightsbridge department store, which sells over 3,000 premium goods, has a high-fashion reputation focused on exclusivity and personalized service.
The retailer’s website hides the 26-restaurant and bar deal until you scroll down. Yet, eating and drinking in-store has grown to the point where transaction values were 47% higher than in 2019 and trading was 44% greater than pre-Covid. In the most recent financial year, Harrods made another profit.
In 2022, Jason Atherton, Vineet Bhatia, Tom Kerridge, Angelo Musa, Gordon Ramsay, and Em Sherif opened their latest restaurant. Another Swedish Michelin-starred chef visited Studio Frantzén.
The top floor of Harrod’s department store has Björn Frantzén’s à la carte restaurant, which serves Asian-influenced Scandinavian food. Knightsbridge and Mayfair, two of London’s most prestigious neighborhoods, have only one rooftop patio. The 150-seat Studio Frantzén is open late, has two bars, and is a gourmet favorite.
Data-driven gains
Why does the shop have so many restaurants and bars? Ashley Saxton, Harrods’ director of restaurants and kitchens, told me how F&B is becoming a revenue generator and business pillar.
That knowledge alone has allowed Saxton to expand his empire. The Harrods Tea Rooms, like Fortnum & Mason’s Piccadilly afternoon tea, was always essential to the store’s identity. New research and hard work produced others.
Each restaurant must attract Harrods customers. Then it’s more buying, spending, and dining. The store’s biggest spenders initially didn’t eat in because it hadn’t identified their demands. From 29% pre-Covid, 80% of Harrods Rewards cardholders use restaurants.
“We’re much more aware of what our consumer segments—different age groups and ethnicities, for example—want, and we’ve developed our strategy around that. “Behavior-led,” stated Saxton. Pre-Covid, 8% of consumers dined; now 20% do.
Destination strategy
Studio Frantzén shows how eateries can be destinations. It introduces local, wealthy consumers to Harrods and its brand. 74% of the store’s F&B trade occurs before 4pm, providing guests time to explore the other departments.
Harrods sees the restaurant business differently after its studies. Destination eating has replaced refueling and resting before shopping. Saxton said eateries are crucial to the store’s future development.
45 restaurants, including 26 in Harrods, are situated abroad. Shanghai, Qatar, and Bangkok have downtown and airport tea rooms.
Saxton has been leading Harrods’ F&B operations for three-and-a-half years. “When Covid arrived we could have battened down the hatches or utilized it to go to the market and talk about our growth and development and our shift of proposition,” he added.
New builds during the pandemic downtime put the retailer in a good position to profit from post-Covid adjustments. “Right now, experience is more important than product in bringing customers into retail and away from dot-coms. Saxton claimed F&B is doing that.
Food is also a luxury trend. Like companies’ accessories and fragrances, Harrods’ Dior café is an entry point into the Dior fashion universe. Qatar’s Hamad Airport’s new luxury display has a Fendi café.
Saxton stated: “There is great demand for these F&B-led experiences. The Dior café got approximately 10,000 bookings in its first four days. Gen Z customers prefer to spend money on luxury, fashion, and food, Gold.
Network Hype Team