Harrods Outlet Westfields Opened 3rd July, Has Anyone Visited?

On Friday morning, the retailer opened the doors of the first Harrods Outlet, a concept store at Westfield London that is currently selling spring/summer 2020 stock across men’s, women’s, children’s, beauty and accessories. The store is set to remain open until the end of March, 2021 and also plans to sell fall/winter sale merchandise as the seasons evolve.

Some 365 customers are allowed in the store at the same time. The same computer system currently being used at Harrods Knightsbridge counts people arriving through the Outlet’s ground floor entrance, and leaving via the second floor exit.

“It’s a concept born out of crisis,” said Annalise Fard, beauty, fine watches, jewelry and accessories director at Harrods, during a walkthrough shortly before opening. A line of customers had begun building early Friday, and by late morning it was curling around the outer perimeter of the vast, West London mall.

As reported, Harrods wants the new outlet to take footfall pressure off the main store, especially during the key sales seasons. The Knightsbridge flagship re-opened, along with a raft of other U.K. retailers, on June 15, and is asking customers to stand at least two meters (6.6 feet) apart at all times.

Fard said the Outlet will serve many purposes. “There are products here that never even reached the shop floor at Knightsbridge, and now clients can access them.” Harrods is sitting on vast amounts of stock: The Knightsbridge store has 1 million square feet of retail space, and was shut for three months. Once it re-opened, principals made the decision to focus on new arrivals and pre-fall.

Fard said the Outlet’s shop floor will be replenished daily, with larger deliveries arriving on a weekly basis. Zimmerman and Missoni are among the brands that will drop weekly in the store.

Fard said that while there are some sale items on Harrods.com, most of them will be sold through the Westfield outlet. Harrods’ re-platformed its web site just before lockdown. As reported, it is operated by Farfetch’s white label service, Platform Solutions.

The Outlet’s ground floor houses inventory from Harrods’ beauty and perfume halls, with sales up to 40 percent off on brands including Perricone MD, Sensai, Ormonde Jayne, Bond No. 9 and Roja Parfums. Accessories sit nearby with shelves full of bags by brands such as Salvatore Ferragamo, Loewe, Michael Kors, Mulberry, Tom Ford, Longchamp and Off-White.

There are also men’s and women’s shoe spaces, and dedicated areas for sunglasses and luggage. Upstairs is ready to wear, featuring sparkling dresses and gowns by brands such as Needle & Thread and Self-Portrait and more laid-back looks by names like Ganni and Zimmerman. Collections at the Outlet range from Stella McCartney, Balmain and Vetements to Ralph Lauren and Max Mara.