Upmarket London department store Harrods has apologised following allegations that its former owner, Egyptian billionaire businessman Mohamed Al Fayed, raped and sexually assaulted several former employees.
A BBC documentary and podcast have collected testimonies from more than 20 former employees who said Al Fayed, who died last year aged 94, sexually assaulted them in incidents in London, Paris, St Tropez and Abu Dhabi.
One of the women who accused Al Fayed of raping her when she was a teenager described him as a “monster”: “He actively cultivated fear.”
According to the BBC documentary, broadcast on Thursday, Harrods failed to intervene and helped cover up allegations of abuse during Al Fayed’s ownership, between 1985 and 2010. All the women interviewed by the BBC said they felt intimidated at work.
“We are absolutely appalled by the allegations of abuse by Mohamed Al Fayed,” Harrods said in a statement. “These are the actions of an individual who intended to abuse his power.
“We also recognise that during this period his victims have been disappointed and we sincerely apologise for this,” Harrods said, adding that the department store was now a “very different organisation” to the one owned and controlled by Al Fayed.
Several media outlets have revealed allegations of sexual abuse against Al Fayed in the past, including Vanity Fair in 1995, ITV in 1997 and Channel 4 in 2017. Many women only felt able to speak out publicly after Al Fayed’s death last year.
DISPUTE RESOLUTION
“Since new information emerged in 2023 about historical allegations of sexual abuse by Al Fayed, our priority has been to resolve the claims as quickly as possible, sparing the women affected lengthy legal proceedings,” Harrods said.
The procedure is still available to any Harrods employee or former employee.
In 2009, prosecutors decided not to charge Mr Al Fayed, who allegedly sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl in his shop, saying there was “no realistic prospect of conviction”.
He voluntarily surrendered to police questioning on bail and has consistently denied the allegations.
In 2010, Mr Al Fayed sold Harrods to the Qatari royal family’s investment fund for around £1.5bn ($2.3bn).
Born in the Egyptian city of Alexandria, Mr Al Fayed began his career selling soft drinks and later worked as a sewing machine salesman. He built his family’s fortune in real estate, shipping and construction, first in the Middle East and then in Europe.
Al Fayed spent a decade trying to prove that Princess Diana and her son Dodi were murdered when their car crashed in a Paris road tunnel in 1997 as they tried to escape paparazzi photographers on motorbikes.
His claims were not supported by any evidence, according to the inquest into Diana’s death.
