HARRODS CRISIS: Is The World's Most Famous Store Going Downhill?

I was in London recently, so I stopped by Harrods.

Harrods is the most famous store in the world, so it's not something you miss. 

And Harrods is also under new ownership.

In 2010, the Egyptian mogul Mohamed Al-Fayed sold Harrods to Qatar for $1.5 billion.

The deal was a big deal. Only a couple of weeks earlier, Al-Fayed had bristled when asked whether he would ever sell Harrods. Then the Prime Minister of Qatar showed up with his checkbook. And, just like that, London's iconic and historic shopping mecca got flipped to another foreign investor.

So now that Qatar owns Harrods, the obvious question is...  

Is Qatar ruining Harrods?

Based on the crowds that filled the place when I was there, the answer appears to be 'no.'

But some long-time Harrods watchers I know lament the state of the place. Harrods has gone downhill, they say. Harrods has become less unique. Harrods has become, well, just another department store.

I'm no Harrods expert, so I'll let you all weigh in on this. I did spend some time in the Harrods famous food halls with my camera, though. So I've got some visuals to share.

Those food halls, I must say, certainly seemed plenty unusual and impressive to me...

Harrods was founded in 1824, by Charles Henry Harrod. The flagship store is in the fashionable Knightsbridge district of London. It's now the largest department store in Europe.

Among other things, Harrods is famous for its window displays. This one featured Paddington bears and a smoking hot mannequin.

Right now, there's some sort of "Dior" exhibit.

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