Refurbishment of fine watches and jewellery department to feature Europe’s first curved escalators

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The scheme’s proposed curved escalators would be Europe’s first

Make is behind plans for a new fine watches and jewellery department at Harrods which will include Europe’s first curved escalators.

The practice, which has a longstanding relationship with the Knightsbridge department store, has submitted a planning application to the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea to remodel three levels of the grade II*-listed building.

Harrods said the refurbishment aimed to create a “prestigious” set of new spaces with an “impressive sense of arrival” which emulates the area’s original Edwardian sales rooms.

The scheme, which will span the basement, lower ground and ground floor levels of the Hans Road side of the building, will reinstate a series of double-height halls in efforts to return the spaces to their historic appearance as seen in archive photographs.

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The plans aim to return the department to its original Edwardian character

It will also include a new escalator hall featuring four bespoke curved escalators, which are only manufactured by Mitsubishi with only a handful of the custom-designed systems installed in the US and the Far East so far.

Harrods, which installed England’s first “moving staircase” in 1898, said the proposed new escalators aim to be “reminiscent of the sweeping staircases” built in its early years.

It said the feature would create a “grand and luxurious retail experience - a feature to spike people’s interest and draw them into the heart of the new fine watches and fine jewellery department”.

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The proposals include a series of reinstated double-height spaces

The store said it had decided to undergo the refurbishment after surveying rivals and concluding it was “clear” that its watches and jewellery departments “require change to remain relevant in the global hard luxury market”.

The project team includes Emmaus as cost consultant and project manager, Carter Jonas on planning, Hillary Bell as conservation architect, WSP as structural engineer and Dowling Blunt on MEP.

Make has been working with Harrods since at least 2016, when it submitted plans for a new entrance hall featuring custom-designed escalators.

The store is known for its dramatic escalator halls, including a lavish Egyptian-themed escalator hall designed by William Mitchell which was commissioned by Harrods’ then owner, Egyptian-born Mohammed Al Fayed.

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