Save this story Save Story Save this story There are few signs that Christmas has arrived in London quite like the Harrods store lighting up for the festive season. Every year, thousands of visitors descend upon Knightsbridge to see the store’s holiday transformation, and this year, the heritage retailer is giving them even more reason to stick around — and return again and again.
Unveiled on Tuesday, Harrods’s iconic terracotta façade has been revamped once again into a celestial spectacle, complete with 600 handcrafted stars, four kilometers of gold leaf, and more than 17,000 lights. The difference this year, however, is that the holiday campaign, Where the Stars Align, is the first wholly Harrods-created festive concept in several years. This follows a spree of collaborations with luxury houses, including Dior in 2022 and Loro Piana in 2024, which placed the retailer as secondary in its own Christmas storytelling.
This time, Harrods has brought multiple brands under its complete creative direction: each of its 24 Christmas windows feature unique installations from houses including Ralph Lauren, Van Cleef & Arpels, Chopard, Dior, Graff, Cartier, and Chanel Beauty.
“I wanted to create joy, but I also wanted that feeling of childhood — those moments where you stop and just look up, whether that’s with your friends and family,” says Alexander Wells Greco, Harrods’s creative visual director. “There’s that moment to pause in such a busy climate.”
Photo: Courtesy of Harrods For Michael Ward, the store’s managing director, the façade is also an important gateway to the wider Harrods experience. “Our façade is one of London’s most recognizable landmarks, and at Christmas, it becomes a destination in its own right. It attracts people who may not have planned to visit the store, creating an opportunity to introduce them to everything Harrods has to offer,” he says.
That invitation continues inside. Customers can take part in luxury engraving, leather personalization and bespoke calligraphy, alongside gold-leaf and bauble personalization with Acqua di Parma. A Dior cinema activation will screen a new film from its creative director Jonathan Anderson, while family programming includes snow globe making, arts and crafts, and biscuit decorating. Children can also collect and post letters to Father Christmas from dedicated Harrods post boxes throughout the store.
The scale of the program reflects the commercial importance of the festive period. A 2025 Microsoft Advertising survey found that 60% of small and medium-sized retailers consider the holidays their most important trading period, with 44% expecting it to account for more than a quarter of annual sales. For Harrods, the stakes are particularly high: more than a third of its customers visit during the festive season, according to Ward. The campaign, therefore, is an opportunity to engage existing customers while drawing in visitors who might initially come for the spectacle.
Photo: Courtesy of Harrods However, success is not measured by footfall and holiday sales alone. Harrods is also looking at the quality of the experience and the longer-term relationships it can build with customers. The aim for every touchpoint, from the windows and the lighting to the restaurants, is to reinforce the wider Harrods proposition. “If someone comes to see the lights, discovers something unexpected inside the store and experiences the exceptional service that defines Harrods,” Ward says, “that is incredibly valuable to us. These are investments in the long-term strength of our brand, as much as in the Christmas trading period.”
Having spent several years investing in the lighting infrastructure that now connects its Knightsbridge façade, windows and surrounding public spaces, Harrods is using this year’s campaign to bring that investment to life. Every evening from 6pm, the façade will host a choreographed light show, repeating every 30 minutes and encouraging visitors to stop by and take in the display.
But while technology provides the scale and the spectacle, the installation is equally defined by the craftsmanship behind it: 600 handcrafted stars, bespoke moons and illuminated elements, brought together by more than 60 specialists and over 40,000 hours of work, with the majority of production taking place in the UK.
Photo: Courtesy of Harrods “Craftsmanship is fundamental to luxury, and it reflects the same commitment to quality and attention to detail that we expect across everything we do at Harrods. As technology and AI continue to transform the world around us, I believe there is something increasingly valuable about human creativity and the ability to create physical experiences that people can genuinely connect with,” says Ward, noting that recent holiday campaigns from brands such as Prada and Dior have also embraced illustration and craft. “There is a renewed appreciation for the human touch and the sense of wonder that is thoughtfully made.”
For Greco, championing local suppliers was a no-brainer, reflecting both the depth of creative talent available in Britain and the retailer’s responsibility to platform that talent. “We have such huge creative talent in the UK from a production standpoint, across all aspects,” he says. “We have such a vast platform that can really enable and enhance the visibility of these wonderful local crafters.”
Photo: Courtesy of Harrods “Christmas is such a tactile seasonal moment,” continues Greco. “Irrespective of opening gifts or whatever, you’re with your loved ones, you’re socializing, and I think it’s that tactility that enabled us to make the right decision at the beginning of the year and say, ‘Let’s maintain that. Let’s support the human touch.’”
Rather than concentrating all of its activity around the initial campaign launch, the department store is rolling out a rotating program of retail theater throughout the six-week festive period to reflect the changing priorities of customers as the season progresses, as well as giving them reasons to return.
“In November, we see customers start to prepare for the festive calendar, whether that means finding something to wear for a special occasion or getting their homes ready to entertain. As we move into December, gifting naturally becomes a priority. But gifting today is not simply about buying for others,” says Ward.
Harrods is programming its in-store experiences accordingly. November’s line-up includes live fashion illustration in the store’s Eveningwear and Occasion Room, beauty gifting experiences with Clé de Peau Beauté and personalized Christmas card calligraphy, alongside opportunities to have festive purchases engraved or customized. As the season progresses, the focus broadens to family experiences, with a weekend of snow globe making, arts and crafts and Marcato biscuit decorating on December 12-13. Letters to Father Christmas can also be posted at dedicated Harrods post boxes from November 10 to December 24.
The strategy comes at a time when physical retailers are having to work harder to justify the journey into store. PwC found that 64% of UK festive purchases were expected to take place online in 2025, including home delivery and click-and-collect. Meanwhile, McKinsey’s latest retail research found that 65% of consumers cite immersive environments as a driver when choosing a store for discovery-led visits.
“We are operating in an environment where customers are increasingly thoughtful about how and where they spend their money, and luxury retailers need to recognize that. Customers have high expectations, particularly at Christmas. They are looking for exceptional products, but also for service and experiences that make their time worthwhile,” says Ward. “Harrods is well positioned because we offer far more than a traditional retail experience. Whether someone is looking for a very special gift, preparing for an occasion or simply spending time with family, we can offer something that feels personal and memorable. Ultimately, our focus is not simply on encouraging customers to spend more, but on giving them compelling reasons to choose Harrods.”
There is also a wider ambition to create a sense of community around the store. Harrods has been part of London’s retail landscape for more than 175 years, and Greco sees this as carrying a responsibility beyond its commercial operations. “We are the beacon of Knightsbridge,” he says. “We have a duty of care to make sure that we are delivering exceptional retail theatre, even more so throughout these seasonal moments.”
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Source: Lifestyle
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