Former Harrods executive Nigel Blow has claimed Fenwick blocked him from joining the business as its new chief executive two weeks before he was due to start.
It follows reports this week that Blow had chosen to pull out of becoming the department store chain’s new boss following multiple sexual assault and rape allegations made against Harrods’ previous owner Mohamed Al Fayed.
Blow told Drapers: “In response to the press articles published about me, initially by the BBC, it is appropriate to clarify a number of points.
“I am shocked that Fenwick has withdrawn its offer of the CEO position to me, just two weeks before I was due to start on 17 October and after several weeks of me meeting many Fenwick executives and shareholders in preparation for joining.”
Related Story
He continued: “Fenwick announced my appointment on 30 July. I was very excited to join Fenwick and take on the significant challenge of turning the business around to profitability after a run of poor, loss-making, results in recent years.
“Like many others, I watched the recent BBC documentary about [former Harrods owner Mohamed] Al Fayed’s behaviour with absolute horror. I do not know and have never met any of the women who bravely spoke about the grooming, sexual assaults, and rapes they endured.”
The executive claimed that he had “never heard about or witnessed any such behaviour by Mr Al Fayed” during his time working for Harrods from 2002 to 2007.
Last month, it was reported that Harrods was looking into whether any of its current workers were involved in the rape and sexual assault accusations against its previous owner Mohamed Al Fayed.
In an investigation by the BBC, 20 female ex-Harrods workers accused the billionaire, who died last year, of rape and sexual assault.
Click here to sign up to Retail Gazette‘s free daily email newsletter
