A former Harrods executive will not join Fenwick as its new chief executive amid a growing fallout over claims of sexual abuse by Mohamed Fayed.
Nigel Blow, who worked at Harrods between 1992 and 2007, had been expected to join the department store chain this month.
However, it emerged on Wednesday that he will no longer make the move, as first reported by the BBC. No reasons were given for his decision.
Mr Blow is currently chief executive of Morleys Department Stores Limited, which owns stores in areas including Wimbledon.
He has held that role since 2019, although prior to that, he was managing director of another company owned by the Fayed family, shirtmaker Turnbull and Asser.
There is no suggestion of wrongdoing by Mr Blow, who declined to comment.
His decision not to take on the top job at Fenwick comes in the wake of allegations regarding his former employer Mr Fayed.
Harrods was thrown into turmoil last month by accusations of predatory sexual abuse by Mr Fayed, who owned the store between 1985 and 2010.
More than 100 women have come forward with claims of sex abuse following a BBC documentary aired last month.
In the exposé, more than 20 female former employees of the luxury store spoke out over allegations of assault and physical violence over a 25-year-period.
This includes claims that he raped a string of women who worked at the department store.
Executives who were working at Harrods at the time have come under pressure to reveal what they knew about the alleged attacks.
Harrods’ current owners have said they were “utterly appalled” by the allegations while its managing director Michael Ward, who has been in post since 2005, last month claimed he was not aware of the abuse.
In a written statement, Mr Ward said it was now clear that his former boss had presided “over a toxic culture of secrecy, intimidation, fear of repercussion and sexual misconduct”.
He said: “This was a shameful period in the business’s history, however, the Harrods of today is unrecognisable to Harrods under his ownership.”
There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing on the part of Mr Ward.
Harrods is currently in the middle of an independent review into issues arising from the allegations and has established a settlement process, which was designed in consultation with independent, external experts in personal injury litigation.
It has said that it would not seek to enforce any non-disclosure agreements related to alleged abuse by Mr Fayed.
Mr Ward said he had “provided all the information I have to ensure my own conduct can be reviewed alongside that of my colleagues”.
Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
