Page 17 - April 2020

The Place To Be T company started life as a linen shop and ten
he story of Harvey Nichols is part of the fabric
of the modern luxury retail market. Founded
by original entrepreneur Benjamin Harvey, the

years later, James Nichols joined the business, marrying
Harvey’s niece in 1848.
Rapid expansion followed and the ambitious pair had
soon taken over the whole block, and the iconic store that
we all know and love today was built in 1889 following the
demolition of the original block.
“Today we have 12 Harvey Nichols stores across six
countries, plus Beauty Bazaar, a unique, stand-alone beauty
concept store,” explains Manju Malhotra, Chief Operating
Officer. “We also run the world-famous Oxo Tower restaurant,
and an exclusive Harvey Nichols own label food and drink
brand, which is also available via Ocado, as well as in our stores.”
In the last 12 months the company has seen real growth
in its e-commerce revenue and innovation which has driven
the success of its multi-channel offer. An example of this is its
partnership with Farfetch which meant they were the first
department store on the platform. This has helped them to
keep at the top of its game and evolve with its customer
base, as well as its marketplace which gives customers access
Harvey Nichols first opened in Knightsbridge in 1831 and since then it has led the to a broader range of brands online.
“Our most recent developments have been in the
way in sourcing the most desirable and cutting-edge designer brands. Here, RLI sits e-commerce space and we now ship to more than 200
countries globally. Our last bricks-and-mortar development
down with Chief Operating Officer Manju Malhotra to discuss how the brand has reflected the shift in consumer needs – Beauty Bazaar, a
changed and grown in the time she has been on board. dedicated beauty concept store. We will continue to see the
shift towards a multi-channel offer and innovative concepts
to enhance our portfolio,” explains Malhotra.
Harvey Nichols is currently working on some exciting
developments. For example its new Fragrance Room has
all pictures are from “Today we have 12 Harvey recently opened and is already proving extremely popular as
harvey nichols
Knightsbridge, london, uK they continue to enhance its flagship Knightsbridge store. They
Nichols stores across six countries, are also expanding its renowned beauty offer, including the
plus Beauty Bazaar, a unique, first physical incarnation of Beauty Pie and are very proud of
the number of firsts they have brought to the UK and Europe.
stand-alone beauty concept store” One of the biggest investments this year is continuing
to enhance its tech infrastructure and online proposition.
They’ve had incredible feedback from innovations such as
their digital personal shopping service as they know that
customers will continue to need modern, digital access in
addition to the in-store shopping experience.
“The breadth of the online market really excites me, and
among our markets we continue to see strong performance
in Hong Kong as we leverage our physical store presence. Of
course, the US market remains constant as our consumer
knows the brand well, but for me, the emerging markets, to move with the times whilst keeping the same pioneering
particularly Japan and South Korea, are the ones to watch spirit that created the company all those years ago.
and we are seeing an increase in customer base from these “Our ethos and culture are two of the defining features of
countries,” says Malhotra. our brand. People describe our organisation as like a family,
With a unique history of launching new-to-market for many of our team, brands and partners, it feels like an
brands and services, Harvey Nichols prides themselves on extension of their own family,” says Malhotra.
offering its customers something they cannot find elsewhere. Looking ahead, Malhotra highlights that she is passionate
They think of themselves as a large boutique rather than a about sustainability and wants to continue the good
department store, and this provides the flexibility and fluidity work that has been going on in the last 18 months in this
of space for them to discover and bring in new brands and department. She also believes the business is still on its
trends across fashion, beauty and increasingly, food and drink. technology transformation journey as they make sure they
On the topic of social media, Malhotra explains that they are fit for the future and continue to modernise.
talk to their customer segment groups using the appropriate “At Harvey Nichols we are all about creating sensational
communication channels and says that the likes of Facebook experiences around our irresistible products. We believe in
and Instagram have a huge reach and relevance in today’s behaving responsibly and have developed a steering committee
market. “It’s an integrated part of any communications and drawn from all areas of the business, to ensure that we are
marketing strategy and plays an extremely important role in proactively working towards making positive environmental
talking to our community.” and social impacts. This is at the heart of everything we do and
Staying relevant and evolving with its customer base is one believe. We are a best-loved British brand; and for that we are
of the biggest drives of success for Harvey Nichols. From so proud and hugely grateful,” concludes Malhotra
the evolution of its physical stores, to the expansion of its Since this interview took place the impact of the COVID-19 virus
lifestyle proposition and e-commerce, they are never afraid situation has rapidly escalated across the UK and wider markets.

APRIL 2020 RETAIL & LEISURE INTERNATIONAL 17