Harrods unveils new £20m atrium

Upmarket department store Harrods has unveiled a grand new atrium – one of the largest refurbishment projects in the retailer’s 160 year history – which is rumoured to have cost around £20m.

The grand new escalator hall, which has sixteen sets of double escalators and opens up the atrium from the lower ground floor to the fifth floors, harks back to the store’s 1930s heyday and includes original windows that had been covered up and original lighting under a newly restored glass domed roof.

It is the latest in a series of development at the luxury department store, which has been owned by the Qatar Investment Authority since 2010, which includes proposed changes to its fine wine shop.

In September Harrods confirmed it was was relocating and “rethinking” the fine wine store that it reopened after a major refurbishment only three years ago. The 7,000 sq ft wine store, which reopened in July 2013 to include a large format bottle zone, wine vault, tasting room and copper clad spirits room is due to be moved from the basement of the building to make way for a new 450-seater late night restaurant.

At the time a spokesman said it remained committed to maintaining a “leading” fine wine room that provided “the same selection of quality products, either in the lower ground floor or another section of the store”, however it has not provided a timeline for the works or any further details as to where the wine shop will move to.

The wine shop stocks around 3,000 lines, and has offered a number of unique collections of Yquem, Mouton Rothschild and Haut-Brion over the years. Recently it introduced the model 2 Coravin in the store’s distinctive shade of green.

Earlier this month, the company reported group profits up 2.6% to £788.9 million in the 12 months to 20 January 2016, which profits up 16.9% to £129.7 million.  according to accounts filed at Companies House. Capital expenditure during 2015 was reported as £35.7 million.