THE INVESTMENT arm of Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund has bought famous London department store Harrods from Egyptian-born businessman Mohamed al-Fayed in a deal reported to be worth about £1.5 billion (€1.74 billion).
Qatar Holding, the prime vehicle for strategic and direct investments by the State of Qatar,would not confirm the estimated figure reported by Sky News.
The country’s prime minister, who is also chairman of Qatar Holding, said there were plans to upgrade the luxury store, which is popular with tourists and an historic landmark in the upmarket Knightsbridge area of London.
“What I can assure you is Qatar Holding will do their best to upgrade this monument, to make it even greater and better for the tourism and also for the British people,” Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani told reporters in an impromptu news conference at the store. He said it will create a “road map” to upgrade Harrods in the next few months. The deal brings to an end 25 years of ownership by al-Fayed, who will become honorary chairman.
“Mohamed al-Fayed has decided to retire and to spend more time with his children and grandchildren,” said Ken Costa, chairman of Lazard International. Lazard advised the al-Fayed family trust. “Qatar Holding was specifically chosen by the trust as they had both the vision and financial capacity to support the long-term successful growth of Harrods.”
Qatar Holding is an arm of Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), which was founded by the State of Qatar in 2005 to strengthen its economy by diversifying into new asset classes.
QIA is one of the largest sovereign wealth funds in the world with an estimated $60 billion (€47.12 billion) or more in assets under management.
Qatar Holding has stakes in supermarket chain J Sainsbury, the London Stock Exchange and Credit Suisse.
The purchase followed interest from the emir of Qatar, the prime minister said. “Harrods generates good and stable returns as a business – it will add much value to our international portfolio of investments,” Sheikh Hamad said. – (Reuters)
