Harrods (Competitor)

Harrods is a high level, upmarket department store located in Chelsea, London. Harrods is a well established brand and considered to be a demanded tourist attraction meaning that they building and the whole existence of the brand has so much importance on society.

With the store being so big, it has occupied a 5-acre site and has over one million square feet of selling space in over 330 departments making it in fact, the biggest department store in Europe. With the company being so private and laid back, the motto allows the brand to speak up to it’s consumers whether this be new or existing as it reads ‘All things for people, everywhere.’ This supports how they have a department for everybody and cater for all peoples needs which supports the reason as to why this is so successful and has become a massive attraction for tourists of London.

Harrods continues to astonish and intrigue customers from its humble beginning as a grocer and tea merchant in 1834, Harrods continues to go from strength to strength. This again adds to why they have become so successful as they understand their consumer so well that they grow from the feedback that they are given. They range from Haute Couture to pet accessories, the finest merchandise is showcased in the lavish premises.  Its more than just a department store and an amazingly splendid building, it shows the beauty of products through their style, through the image in which has been created for them and for their overall power they hold over other department stores. Harrods is a British institution, rich in history and romanticism, shaped by its customers, it’s staff and the its position within London that helps to spur this on and make this so fulfilling.

Harrods has it’s own sense of style, its own image. This does not rarely promote as, as a brand they do not feel the need to do so as they are able to communicate with their audience in other ways. This can be due to the fact that not only is it a tourist attraction but it is the biggest department store which means that it attracts people all day everyday leaving them bursting with profits.  With them having such a well established name and their goals set and achieved. This leaves no reason for this brand to propose a threat in terms of my idea, this is because this is something that to e quite frank, they do not really need. As this is so, this proves to be a relief due to one less competitor worrying the brand or acting as a threat.

With the Harrods logo and the packaging that the gifts come in, they have allowed themselves not only an image but a trademark, this is something that I need to carry forward for the Selfridges brand but incorporate the flowers section into their existing logo design.

Although they do have a home ware and gifts section within the website this does not phase me in the slightest as I will be producing good that are completely different and unique along with being one off and innovative which will not be an issue. The brand can afford to take a more simplistic approach due to the brand being so well known. This has a clean and crisp style that allows the products to do the talking for the brand. This means that they are slightly reserved because they can be. I feel as though Selfridges take a similar approach and keep their promotional methods as chic and sophisticated due to them being within the higher end market level.