Harvey Nichols, founded in 1831, is a luxury British department store chain with a flagship store in Knightsbridge, London. It sells fashion collections for men and women, fashion accessories, beauty products, wine and food.
In 1831 Benjamin Harvey opened a linen shop in a terraced house on the corner of Knightsbridge and Sloane Street in London. In 1835 the shop expanded to number 8 next door, and would continue to expand into successive properties over the following years. In 1841 Benjamin employed James Nichols from Oxfordshire. In 1845 Nichols was promoted to management and in 1848 he married Harvey’s niece, Anne Beale. Benjamin Harvey died in 1850, leaving the business in the care of his wife Anne, who went into partnership with James Nichols to form Harvey Nichols & Co.
In 1889, the existing space was demolished to make way for a new department store. The building was designed by C Q Stephens and built in stages between 1889 and 1894. In 1904 the location underwent a change of address to become 109-125 Knightsbridge. In 1920 Harvey Nichols was purchased by Debenhams. In 1975 a restaurant called Harvey’s opened on the fifth floor.
In 1985 Debenhams including Harvey Nichols was acquired by the Burton Group. In 1991, Dickson Poon of Dickson Concepts acquired Harvey Nichols from the Burton Group. Harvey Nichols was refurbished. A new restaurant, café, bar and food market, designed by architects Wickham & Associates, opened on the fifth floor in 1992, with a direct access lift which allowed for later opening hours after the main store closed. Ten years later in 2002 the restaurant interior was replaced by a new design by Lipschutz Davison. On 17 February 2014 Stacey Cartwright joined Harvey Nichols as Chief Executive Officer of the Harvey Nichols Group of Companies. She replaced Joseph Wan, who held the position of CEO for 21 years and who retired at the end of March 2014.
