Harrods ‘H-Beauty’ Store Proposed for Historic Chester Location

An application has been filed proposing that luxury retailer Harrods establish a presence in the former Browns of Chester premises. Browns occupied its location on The Rows in the city centre for over 250 years before closing in 2021, having been known as “the Harrods of the North”. The Martin Property Group acquired the building in 2022 with the intention of subdividing it into smaller retail spaces to draw tenants. According to an application submitted to Cheshire West and Chester Council, Harrods intends to launch an additional ‘H-Beauty’ outlet within a section of this property. The ‘H-Beauty’ brand debuted at Lakeside Shopping Centre in Essex in autumn 2020 and has since expanded its presence to include locations in Edinburgh, Newcastle, Bristol, and Milton Keynes. Situated on the first-floor walkway of The Rows, the proposed Chester store is designed to span both a Grade I listed building featuring a gothic architectural style and a Grade II listed property with a Georgian facade. Harrods has recently been the subject of multiple sexual abuse allegations concerning its deceased former owner, Mohamed Al Fayed. The current owners expressed that they were “utterly appalled”, stating further: “We also acknowledge that during this time his victims were failed and for this we sincerely apologise. We are doing everything we can to fix this.”