Make’s Harrods jewellery department overhaul approved

Make’s plans to remodel two floors of Harrods to create a new fine watches and jewellery department have been approved by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

The scheme, which was approved using delegated powers on 18 July, will add a “prestigious” set of new double-height spaces to the grade II*-listed building at the ground and lower ground floors.

It will also include a grand arrival point featuring Europe’s first curved escalators, the latest in the department store’s long-running tradition of building dramatic and innovative escalator halls.

The scheme will remove sections of the floor slab between the ground and lower ground floors, creating a two-storey avenue lined with luxury stores linking two sets of escalators.

While the council’s planning officers raised concerns about the impact of the proposals on the building’s highly ornamented ground floor spaces, which include some of the most significant original features in the building, a report on the scheme concluded the scheme would be provide a public benefit.

“The council considers that the sensitive adaptation of Harrods through time is necessary. This is considered to be a public benefit, balancing the less than substantial harm that arises from the proposals,” officers said.

The report added: “The proposal to alter these spaces by shifting the main shopping area to the lower ground floor does cause some concern, however it is recognised that shopping trends have developed since the construction of Harrods, and that more private spaces are desired.”

Only a handful of curved escalators, which are solely manufactured by Mitsubishi, have been 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”.

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.