Almost 200 years after its founding, British department store Harrods is considered iconic in luxury retail. And it continues to innovate in the world of beauty and fragrances, drawing on its decades of experience in customer service and curation.Established in 1834 in London, UK, the super-premium British department store Harrods offers a plethora of premium goods across food and wine, fashion, jewelry, furniture, fragrances, and beauty out of its flagship Grade II-listed store in the city's Knightsbridge district. Today, Harrods remains a single-site luxury department store, with a couple of small-scale airport shops and one international outlet in Beijing, China, and still, it draws crowds from all over the world.So, how exactly does Harrods remain relevant today? And what is it doing to evolve offerings and stay competitive? BeautyMatter sat in on a talk with Michael Ward, Managing Director of Harrods, at Shoptalk Europe 2025 in Barcelona to find out.Customer Service, Connection, & Insights“Experience and customer service are absolutely everything to us,” Ward told attendees. “And experience is built up on so many levels; it's not something that is superficial.”The absolute key, he explained, is about creating “emotional connections with those customers so they really feel they have to come back.” The customer service within this, he said, is the “final piece on the cake.”Everything in luxury retail starts and ends with the customer, “always,” he added. Success, Ward said, will always center around “going that extra mile for people.