 | |
 Exterior of the flagship store in Knightsbridge (2017) | |
| Harvey Nichols | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
| Industry | Retail |
| Genre | Department stores |
| Founded | 1831; 195 years ago (1831) inLondon,England,United Kingdom |
| Founder | Benjamin Harvey |
| Headquarters | 109–125Knightsbridge, London, England, United Kingdom |
Number of locations | 13 (2025) |
Area served |
|
| Parent | Dickson Concepts |
| Website | harveynichols |
| Footnotes / references [1] | |
Harvey Nichols Group Limited (trading asHarvey Nichols) is a British luxurydepartment store chain founded in 1831 by Benjamin Harvey; it is headquartered at its flagship store inKnightsbridge, London. It sellsdesigner fashion collections for men and women,fashion accessories, beauty products,fine wines andluxury foods. It is owned byHong Kong luxury goods companyDickson Concepts.
The chain has 14 locations worldwide acrossHong Kong,Ireland,Kuwait,Qatar,Saudi Arabia, theUnited Arab Emirates and theUnited Kingdom,[2] including a brasserie in theOXO Tower, London.
The business was founded by Benjamin Harvey as a linen shop in Knightsbridge in 1831. Harvey died in 1850, leaving the business in the care of his wife Anne, who went into partnership with Harvey's son-in-law, James Nichols, to form Harvey Nichols & Co.[3]
In 1889, the existing space was demolished to make way for a new department store. The building was designed byC. W. Stephens and built in stages between 1889 and 1894.[4] In 1920, Harvey Nichols was purchased byDebenhams and, in 1985 Debenhams including Harvey Nichols was acquired by theBurton Group.[5]
In October 1991,Dickson Poon ofDickson Concepts acquired Harvey Nichols from the Burton Group for £53.6 million.[6]
Throughout its run in the 1990s and 2000s, Harvey Nichols was heavily mentioned inBBC comedy seriesAbsolutely Fabulous, starringJennifer Saunders andJoanna Lumley.[7]
On 17 February 2014 Stacey Cartwright joined Harvey Nichols as chief executive officer of the Harvey Nichols Group of Companies. She replaced Joseph Wan, who held the position of CEO for 21 years and who retired at the end of March 2014.[8]
Former CEO Stacey Cartwright left the company on 30 April 2018, handing over control of the company to Daniela Rinaldi and Manju Malhotra. Under their management, Harvey Nichols generated £229 million for the year to 30 March 2019, which marked a nine per cent increased from the year before.[9]
In November 2019, after co-chief operating officer Daniela Rinaldi resigned from the company, the other co-operating chief, Manju Malhotra, became sole chief operating officer, working closely with executive director Pearson Poon.[10]
On 16 August 2023, it was announced that Manju Malhotra will leave Harvey Nichols at the end of the year after working for the company for over 25 years. Pearson Poon was subsequently appointed Vice Chairman.[11]
Kate Phelan was appointed as the brands first ever creative director in November 2024.[12]
The Londonflagship store is inKnightsbridge, a short distance from rivalHarrods.[3] In 1996 Harvey Nichols launched its first stand-alone restaurant in London, theOXO Tower Restaurant, Bar, and Brasserie, viewing theRiver Thames. OXO and three of the in-store restaurants were designed by London-based architectsLifschutz Davidson Sandilands. During the same year, Harvey Nichols opened its first store outside London inLeeds: a 60,000 sq ft (5,600 m2) store in the 19th centuryVictoria Quarter, dubbed at the time "Knightsbridge of the North".[13]
Due to the company's ambition to expand into Scotland, several potential locations were considered inEdinburgh andGlasgow. Eventually the company bought a site inSt Andrew Square, Edinburgh, and the £32 million project was under way. The store opened in Summer 2002.[14]
After the1996 Manchester bombing in the centre of Manchester, the city underwent major redevelopment. Harvey Nichols announced in 2000 they would open a 100,000 sq ft (9,000 m2) flagship store to help revive the city. The store opened in 2002 on New Cathedral Street, next door to its rivalSelfridges which had opened a year earlier. Along with fashion, the Manchester store accommodates beauty, food, wine and a bar/brasserie on the second floor.[15]
Harvey Nichols trialled a 22,000 square foot (2000 m2 "Beauty Bazaar" store in Manesty's Lane in theLiverpool One shopping area in 2012. The store has now become a permanent location for the company.[16]
Harvey Nichols has had a presence atThe Mailbox inBirmingham since 2001. In May 2013 they announced that they were to double the size of the store. The new store, a few doors down, covers 45,000 square feet, double the size of the existing store.[17]
| Country | City | Shopping center or district | Year opened | Year closed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Azerbaijan | Baku | 2015 | 2015 | Converted to BARKERS after terminating licence agreement[19][20] | |
| China | Hong Kong | The Landmark in Central | 2005 | 2023 | [21] |
| Pacific Place | 2011 | N/a | [22] | ||
| England | Birmingham | The Mailbox | 2001 | N/a | |
| Bristol | Cabot Circus | 2008 | N/a | ||
| Leeds | Victoria Leeds | 1996 | N/a | ||
| Liverpool | Liverpool One | 2012 | 2025 | Beauty Bazaar[23] | |
| London | Knightsbridge | 1831 | N/a | Flagship store | |
| Manchester | New Cathedral Street | 2002 | N/a | ||
| Indonesia | Jakarta | Grand Indonesia | 2008 | 2010 | Operated by Mitra Adiperkasa[24] |
| Ireland | Dublin | Dundrum Town Centre | 2005 | N/a | |
| Kuwait | Kuwait City | The Avenues | 2012 | N/a | |
| Qatar | Doha | Doha Festival City | 2018 | N/a | Operated by Al Mana Group of Companies[25] |
| Saudi Arabia | Riyadh | Al-Faysaliyah Tower | 2000 | N/a | [26] |
| Scotland | Edinburgh | St. Andrew's Square | 2002 | N/a | |
| Turkey | Istanbul | Kanyon Shopping Mall | 2006 | 2021 | Operated by DEMSA Group[27] |
| Ankara's Next Level | 2017 | 2020 | [28] | ||
| United Arab Emirates | Dubai | Mall of the Emirates | 2006 | N/a | Operated byAl Tayer Insignia[29] |
Soon after opening a new store in Edinburgh in 2002, the managers faced an official complaint after staff tried to stop a homeless man selling theBig Issue magazine outside.[30]
In mid-2003 objections were made to a Harvey Nichols magazine advertisement that appeared inVogue,Elle andHarpers & Queen and on a poster. The complainants objected that the advertisement was irresponsible, because it showed unsafe driving and was offensive to people who had been, or who knew people who had been involved in road accidents.[31]
In September 2013, Harvey Nichols resumed the sale of fur in its United Kingdom stores following a decade-long embargo.[32] The decision attracted much criticism, focusing on the way animals were treated. The company denied allegations of cruelty and insisted its furs are ethically sourced from reputable suppliers.[32]
The ASA has also ordered Harvey Nichols to withdraw its press and poster ad, which shows a female car driver applying lipstick and a blurred photograph of a pedestrian through the windscreen, on the grounds of it being irresponsible and offensive to people who have been involved in road accidents.
PETA are continuing to target Harvey Nichols, who recently abandoned their decade-long fur-free policy in order to start selling Origin Assured fur.
51°30′06″N0°09′35″W / 51.5016°N 0.1598°W /51.5016; -0.1598