A long-serving former Harrods executive has stepped back from plans to become boss of department store Fenwick chain this month amid controversy about the activities of the late owner of the Knightsbridge department store.
Nigel Blow worked at Harrods for more than 14 years from 1992 to 2007 when the retailer was owned by Al Fayed, the subject of recent BBC documentary based on the accounts of more than 20 women who said he had sexually assaulted or raped them when they worked for the company.
After the widely reported allegations, the BBC said that Blow, who has been the chief executive of the privately owned department store chain Morleys since 2019, declined to answer multiple requests for comment about his time at Harrods.
Fenwick, a family-owned luxury department store chain with eight outlets around the UK, had announced in July that Blow would become its chief executive this month, but has now said he will no longer be taking up the role.
“Nigel Blow has informed us that he will no longer be taking up this position,” it said in a statement.
No reason for the decision has been given.
Blow joined Harrods as a merchandise controller in 1992, rising to chief merchant of the store. He gained a seat on the board, in 2003.
He left in 2007 to run the Brown Thomas department store in Ireland and has since run Ireland’s largest department store Arnotts and British menswear brand Turnbull & Assser before becoming the chief executive of Morley’s – which owns Elys in Wimbledon and Selbys on north London’s Holloway Road.
There were media reports accusing Al Fayed of abusing women during that period, including a profile in Vanity Fair in 1995 that alleged sexual misconduct against staff, then a documentary in 1997, and a book in 1998 which alleged sexual assaults. Al Fayed died last year aged 94.
The news comes after barristers representing alleged victims of Al Fayed said on Tuesday that the Justice For Harrods Survivors campaign has more than 70 clients. The group said the number of women “feeling safe to come forward” was “increasing on a daily basis”.
Last month, the Metropolitan police confirmed officers were investigating a number of fresh allegations made against Al Fayed, as well as previous reports.
The force said it would carry out “full reviews of all existing allegations” of incidents reported to have taken place between 1979 and 2013 to ensure there were “no new lines of inquiry based on new information which has emerged”.
Morleys said that Blow had resigned as chief executive in July to move to Fenwick at the end of October.
“Nigel has worked for the group for eight years and we have been happy with his contribution to our business over this time,” the company said in a statement.
“Morleys Stores had no knowledge of the recent allegations regarding Harrods and like others are horrified to hear the reports of sexual abuse against their employees and our thoughts are with the victims at this time.”
The Guardian has approached Blow for comment.
