Harvey Nichols, London’s high-fashion department store, is beefing up its restaurant business with a daring new venture located at the top of the OXO Tower – one of the capital’s most distinctive landmarks. Lauren Mills reports.
The store has beaten off stiff competition from rivals Anthony Worrall-Thompson and Sir Terence Conran in a bid to open its first stand-alone restaurant. As Harvey Nichols’ food and beverage director Dominic Ford explained: “The Fifth Floor [Harvey Nichols’ in-store restaurant in the Knightsbridge flagship] is a huge success and my brief within the company is to expand the stand-alone restaurant business.”
Located on London’s South Bank, the new eaterie will be based on the Fifth Floor concept and will operate out of about 20,000 sq ft (1,858m2). Harvey Nichols is believed to be in the final stages of negotiations for a 25-year lease, including a break, with the tower’s owner, Coin Street Community Builders.
It will take at least two weeks to finalise the deal, which is subject to planning and the aim is to open the new restaurant next spring.
Ford is confident of its success, despite its slightly peripheral location. “It’s very close to the City, Lincoln’s Inn, and the law courts. And there’s a huge amount of professional business in the area. Shell, IBM and London Weekend Television are all on the doorstep. People will come by cab, bus or train – it’s not far from Waterloo.”
Harvey Nichols is believed to have identified a further two restaurant sites in Chelsea and Mayfair, but it has no plans to extend the stand-alone business beyond the capital.
Strutt & Parker is providing the company with strategic advice.
Expansion of the restaurant business follows Harvey Nichols’ decision to open department stores in the provinces. The first will be in Empire Arcade in Leeds. Chances to open department stores in other leading centres, including Manchester and Glasgow, are also being considered.
