Harrods to close amid coronavirus chaos

World-famous department store Harrods is to close its doors this evening (23 March) due to the coronavirus pandemic.

It said the welfare of its community of colleagues, customers and partners has been its “absolute priority throughout this time of uncertainty”. As a result, it has made the “very difficult decision” to close its doors today.

However, Harrods said it hopes that customers will continue to visit its website, while its social channels will continue to keep the department store “close to its global community”.

In addition to this, Harrods said it will keep its food halls and pharmacy open to the public, and added it will continue to provide these “essential” services and products until it is “forced to close”.

A statement read: “Harrods has gone through many challenges during its 170-year history. We continued to trade and serve our customers during World War II, and only closed for a short period of time after the car bomb attack of the 1980s.

“Harrods is a symbol of resilience in a changing and often uncertain world, and I know that our values will ensure that we as a business come through this next chapter. We wish all of our customers, partners and friends well and look forward to seeing you again very soon.”