How Harrods, Londons Luxury Emporium, Is Dealing With a Sexual Abuse Scandal

Across the department store’s seven labyrinthine floors, visitors weave their way past designer bags, diamond-encrusted watches and columns carved with Egyptian hieroglyphics.Outside, shoppers pause for selfies in front of the terracotta facade, undeterred by the rain, clutching green paper bags with gold lettering spelling out the iconic name: Harrods.The department store, which first opened in 1849, has long drawn luxury shoppers.But a deluge of allegations of rape and sexual assault against the late Mohamed Al Fayed, a billionaire businessman and the owner of Harrods from 1985 until 2010, have complicated the image of the heritage-driven retailer.A BBC documentary last month detailed harrowing allegations of sexual abuse by Mr.

al-Fayed against a number of female employees, raising questions about the culture within Harrods that they say enabled his behavior.Mr.al-Fayed, his accusers say, used Harrods as a hunting ground for young women whom he would select from the storeroom floor and then elevate to work in his personal office.

At least five women said he raped them, while more than 20 former employees alleged other cases of sexual harassment and abuse, including within Harrods’ offices, Mr.al-Fayed’s home or on business trips abroad.They allege that Mr.

al-Fayed’s behavior was an open secret within the company.A number of female employees said they were subjected to intrusive gynecological exams and sexual health tests when joining Harrods.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe....