Harrods opens revamped wine department with eye-popping prices

The confirmed widely held view that the capital exists in a privileged bubble, the luxury retailer Harrods is opening the doors of its refurbished wines and Spirits department to reveal an eye-popping price range that is unashamedly aimed at well-heeled connoisseurs and collectors – including its billionaire oligarch neighbours and big-spending tourists.

But some professionals  in the wine industry think the move by Harrods is not only in response to the growing competition of the internet, but also the arrival of the supermarkets (Tesco and Marks & Spencer in particular) into fine wines, and moves by rival department stores such as Selfridges, which have improved. And Harrods is likely to be miffed that London's talked-about luxury wine store Hedonism not only poached its head wine buyer, Alistair Viner, but has also outdone it on the bling stakes.

Source: guardian