The accusations of Harrods and Al Fayed

Harrods says it is not “in the process of resolving 250 claims against Al Fayed”, as reported by the BBC and other media outlets.

In a statement to Drapers, a spokesperson for the London store said: “We informed the BBC that there are more than 250 people involved in our process, we did not state that Harrods is in the process of resolving 250 claims.”

Dozens of women have come forward since the BBC documentary – Al Fayed: Predator at Harrods – premiered in September, which featured testimonies from 13 women who said they were victims of Al Fayed, when they worked at the store. In the documentary, Al Fayed is described as a “sexual predator”. It is claimed that some Harrods staff helped cover up the allegations.

After the documentary, Harrods said it had “failed” employees but was “a very different organisation” to the one owned and controlled by Al Fayed between 1985 and 2010.

Harrods has set up a website to allow current or former employees who believe they were victims of sexual misconduct by Al Fayed to contact them and make a compensation claim.

Harrods was bought from Al Fayed by the Qatari royal family through their Qatar Investment Authority in 2010 for around £1.5 billion.