Harrods London is one of the most popular shopping destinations in a city that is well known for world-class shopping. It is located on Brompton Road in Knightsbridge, in the city's East End. Shopping at Harrods is an experience to say the least. It is easily one of the largest department stores in the world and the largest by a long stretch in the city of London.

To give you an idea of just how big it actually is, the store sits on 4.5 acres, and occupies over 1 million square feet of retail space in over 300 separate departments. To put this in perspective, the second largest store in London, Selfridge’s, occupies just a little over half of the square footage of Harrods. The best way to describe what is available when shopping at Harrods London is summed up in the store’s own motto: “All Things for All People, Everywhere.” In other words, you can find just about anything you can think of for sale at this famous department store.

The history of Harrods dates all the way back to 1834. Founder Charles Henry Harrod originally opened up a grocery in the Stepney area, but ultimately moved to a small shop in Knightsbridge (the site of the current store) to capitalize on the excitement building for the Great Exhibition of 1851 in nearby Hyde Park. It is hard to imagine that the department store that now occupies over 1 million square feet was at one time a one-room establishment, but this is the humble history of Harrods London. Harrods began to expand under the guidance of the founder’s son, Charles Digby Harrod, and by 1880, the store employed 100 people. In 1883 the original store burnt down but was quickly rebuilt and the thriving department store continued to grow. It is now owned by Mohammed Al-Fayed, an Egyptian entrepreneur who purchased the store along with his brothers in 1985 for 615 million Pounds.

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Harrods Food Hall is also a famous destination within the greater department store. The various shops and boutiques at the Harrods Food Hall feature everything from preserves and chocolates to oils, candies, and teas. This is definitely not your typical food court and you can find just about any variety of chocolate from the Godiva Chocolatier to the new craze at the Harrods Food Hall—whoopie pies (delicious chocolate cake sandwiches filled with cream).

Once you have had your fill of goodies at the Food Hall you can commence with your shopping at Harrods and treat yourself to an afternoon of meandering through the various designer departments and boutiques. The single biggest thing for which Harrods London is best known is the diversity and range of goods available for purchase. This has always been the reputation of the store and it continues on to this day. Featured designers such as Ralph Lauren, DKNY, and Stella McCartney adorn the shelves of Harrods, but you can also find house goods, wine, sporting supplies, perfumes and makeup, and so much more. Shopping at Harrods is a department store experience unlike any other in the world.