A former senior executive at Harrods has abandoned plans to become the new boss of Fenwick.
Nigel Blow had been due to become the company’s new chief executive, but has now decided to withdraw from the role, a spokesperson for the retail chain announced.
Fenwick, which runs eight department stores across the UK including a flagship branch in Newcastle, did not explain why.
It comes after a group of lawyers announced last month that they intended to launch legal action against Harrods amid a string of allegations about its former owner Mohamed al Fayed.
Dozens of women have come forward to accuse the retail tycoon, who died last year aged 94, of crimes including sexual assault, harassment and rape.
It followed an investigation by the BBC into the treatment of employees by Fayed, who also owned Fulham FC between 1997 and 2013.
Mr Blow worked at Harrods between 1992 and 2007, when it was owned by Fayed, but there is no suggestion he was involved in any wrongdoing.
During his time at the chain, he rose to become its chief merchant and was appointed to its board in 2003.
He left the company in 2007 to join Irish retailer Brown Thomas, before joining shirt-maker Turnbull & Asser – another firm owned by Fayed’s company.
Mr Blow left in 2017 and was later named chief executive of Morleys department stores.
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A Fenwick spokesperson said: “In July 2024, we announced that we would be appointing Nigel Blow as chief executive of Fenwick.
“Nigel Blow has informed us that he will no longer be taking up this position.”
Meanwhile, a lawyer representing alleged victims of Fayed has appealed to women thinking of bringing a legal claim to take a “calm and considered approach”.
Claire Glasgow, a specialist personal injury solicitor at Fieldfisher, said: “It might feel easy to get caught up in the current furore around accusations against Mr al Fayed, not least since a deceased person cannot be libelled, but the right processes must be followed to ensure justice for women injured over so many years.”
Following a BBC documentary featuring some of the allegations last month, Harrods said it was “utterly appalled” by the claims and invited alleged victims to complete a form for a compensation claim.
A statement from the company added: “While we cannot undo the past, we have been determined to do the right thing as an organisation, driven by the values we hold today, while ensuring that such behaviour can never be repeated in the future.”
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The Metropolitan Police said last week it was investigating a string of new claims on top of previous reports made by 19 separate women.
The force said that while it was not possible to bring criminal proceedings against someone who had died, detectives would still “fully explore whether any other individuals could be pursued for any criminal offences”.
