Harrods opens temporary outlet at Katara Village

An overview of Harrods Doha at Katara. HE the Minister of State for Defence Affairs and Cabinet Member Major General Hamad bin Ali al-Attiyah cuts a ribbon to open the Harrods Doha at Katara yesterday as HE the Minister of Transport Jassim Seif Ahmed al-Sulaiti, British ambassador Ajay Sharma, Qatar Investment Authority CEO Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohamed bin Saud al-Thani and other dignitaries look on. PICTURES: Nasar T K

By Ayman AdlyStaff ReporterA 6,500sq m branch of London’s iconic department store Harrods has opened at Katara the Cultural Village.The upmarket outlet at Shakespeare Street is accessible only to VIP visitors during the first week, following which the general public can visit from 4pm to midnight daily for the next 45 days.Harrods owner Qatar Investment Authority’s CEO Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohamed bin Saud al-Thani, HE the Minister of State for Defence Affairs and Cabinet Member Major General Hamad bin Ali al-Attiyah, HE the Minister of Transport Jassim Seif Ahmed al-Sulaiti, British ambassador Ajay Sharma and a number of other dignitaries were present at the opening ceremony yesterday. Sheikh Abdullah said extensive preparations were made over the last three months to bring Harrods to Qatar in connection with Qatar National Day Celebrations. The temporary Harrods Doha outlet at Katara resembles the Harrods Sardinia branch, Italy, but on a larger scale. The Harrods at Katara currently hosts around 13 international brands with local dealers, and two other brands with no local dealers. Luxury vehicles including Rolls-Royce, BMW and Bentley, jewellery, watches, gifts, leather products and other items are available at the outlet.There are food and beverages outlets too.  Sheikh Abdullah expected that the next year’s version will be much bigger and include more brands. The organisers pointed out that an assessment will be made of the response and outcome this year to help improve the performance of upcoming versions and introduce the necessary modifications. The British ambassador said Harrods was an essential part of London and it was as if a bit of London has been brought to Doha. The initiative is supported by Ooredoo and QNB.