Shopping is the best cure to a bad day. But deep-pocketed Russian shoppers won’t be able to rely on any heavy-duty retail therapy as Harrods department store imposed sanctions on Russian shoppers. After impounding their yachts and seizing their properties and holiday villas, UK authorities aim to snatch away their solace by striking retail therapy off the list. The Knightsbridge department store has contacted Russian customers via email, breaking the stinging news that Harrods will no longer sell them “luxury goods” worth more than $370.
As per NZ Herald, the move is to comply with sanctions introduced in the wake of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. With this monetary limitation, nearly everything in Harrods will be off-limits as the world’s most famous department store is synonymous with luxury and opulence. Russian shoppers won’t be left with a wide assortment of luxury bags, accessories, or jewelry.
Instead, we made matters perceptible by steering straight to the sale section on Harrods online store and discovered things under $370. The options included a few makeup products, New Balance sneakers with a hefty discount, a couple of kitchen appliances, and nearly nothing that would make it to the Rich Kids of Instagram account. Harrods is singling out those with a Russian phone number or who have said they live in the country. The email, seen by The Telegraph, said: “As you may be aware, the UK authorities have introduced further regulations as part of their ongoing sanctions against Russia, which specifically target the sale of luxury goods.
The regulations seek to prohibit the supply of many categories of luxury goods over certain values (generally £300) to individuals who are either currently or ordinarily in Russia. To comply with these regulations, Harrods has been required to review its customer information to identify those customers who it appears (by reference to the country or phone number information they have provided to us) might currently or usually be resident in Russia.”
As per Business Today, since the invasion, the UK government said it has sanctioned or designated over 1,000 Russian individuals and 100 entities, including oligarchs with a global net worth of over GBP 117 billion. I wonder what kind of outrage will Harrods face from its faithful and superrich Russian shoppers. Let’s not forget the wrath of Russian women who, after being denied Chanel products, cut open their expensive handbags in a fit of rage.