Harrods sanctions high-spending Russian customers

By

Nigel TAYLOR

Published
May 16, 2022

Harrods is imposing sanctions on its Russian customers, restricting their spending capacity at the luxury London department store.

According to The Telegraph, the famous Knightsbridge store has contacted Russian customers warning that it will no longer sell them “luxury goods” worth more than £300.
 
The move comes after the report said Harrods has gone through its customer database, singling out those with a Russian phone number or who have said they live in the country.

The retailer said the move is in order to comply with sanctions introduced in the wake of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
 
It means items, including jewellery and designer clothing, are now off limits with the £300 barrier severely restricting buying options.
 
The Qatar-owned store sent an email to one wealthy Russian, which has been seen by the newspaper, saying: “As you may be aware, the UK authorities have introduced  further regulations as part of their ongoing sanctions against Russia which specifically target the sale of luxury goods.
 
“The regulations seek to prohibit the supply of many categories of luxury goods over certain values (generally £300) to individuals who are either currently or ordinarily in Russia.” The letter includes a link to the new regulations and encouraged the customer to “review them”.
 
Harrods has declined to say how its business might be affected by the ban.
 
But it said in a statement: “Our priority is to comply with regulations, informing potentially impacted customers on how it may limit their ability to shop at Harrods, and ensuring wider customers are not unduly affected. We are happy that we have been able to take this action and support customers in making them aware of recent government regulations.”