Harrods is committed to resolving sexual assault cases quickly

London department store Harrods has admitted that it failed its employees during the period the company was under the leadership of Mohamed Al Fayed from 1985 to 2010.

More than 20 former Harrods employees have now claimed that Al Fayed sexually abused them over those 25 years. 14 of them have so far filed civil lawsuits against the retailer. Four of the women claim they were raped by the Egyptian billionaire.

The company stated: “Since 2023 new information came to light [the year of Al Fayed’s death at the age of 94] of previous allegations of sexual abuse by Al Fayed, our priority was to resolve the claims as quickly as possible and avoid lengthy legal proceedings for the women involved. This process remains available to any current or former Harrods employee.”

The government added that it was “extremely appalled” by the allegations against Al Fayed. His actions were those of “an individual who sought to abuse his power wherever he operated and we condemn them in the strongest possible terms.”

“We also recognise that as a company we have failed our employees, who were its victims, during this time and for that we sincerely apologise.”

The statement added that the company's top priority was to resolve the claims as quickly as possible and to spare the women affected from lengthy legal proceedings. It also said it was “determined to do the right thing as an organization, guided by the values ​​we hold today, while ensuring that such behavior cannot be repeated in the future.”

Harrods is a completely different company today than it was when Al Fayed owned it, the statement said.

One of the former employees who was sexually assaulted told the BBC that there had been rumours about Al Fayed's behaviour and that his private office was like a “modelling agency” full of young women.

Other women who worked at Harrods described Al Fayed as a man who abused his position to take advantage of employees and used his power to prevent them from expressing their opinions.

Some former employees reported that during his tours of the department store, he would select young saleswomen he found attractive and then promote them to his private office.

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