Thirty-seven women have accused the late Mohamed al-Fayed, former boss of the London department store Harrods, of rape and sexual assault as their lawyers say they expect “many more” to come forward with civil claims.

Speaking at a news conference in London on Friday, lawyers representing the women described the Egypt-born businessman, who died last year at the age of 94, as a “monster” who abused women and girls he employed during the 25 years that he owned the high-end store from 1985 to 2010.

The allegations against al-Fayed were made public by the BBC in a documentary called Al Fayed: Predator at Harrods, aired on Thursday, and the network’s World of Secrets podcast, in which more than 20 women alleged that he assaulted and was physically violent towards them at properties in London, Paris, St Tropez and Abu Dhabi.

One of al-Fayed’s accusers who went by the name Natacha said at the news conference that the billionaire businessman was “highly manipulative” and “preyed on the most vulnerable, those of us who needed to pay the rent and some of us who didn’t have parents to protect them”.

In July 2023, Harrods, which was sold in 2010 to the investment arm of Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund, began settling claims with women who came forward alleging sexual abuse by al-Fayed.

The store’s current owners issued an apology in a statement to the BBC documentary, saying they were “utterly appalled” by the allegations of abuse.

“As a business we failed our employees who were his victims and for this we sincerely apologise,” they said.

“While we cannot undo the past, we have been determined to do the right thing as an organisation, driven by the values we hold today, while ensuring that such behaviour can never be repeated in the future.”

The department store is a “very different organisation” to the one owned and controlled by al-Fayed, they said, describing the alleged crimes as “the actions of an individual who was intent on abusing his power”.

A view of the Harrods department store in London [Mina Kim/Reuters]

At Friday’s media event, lead lawyer Dean Armstrong queried Harrods’s claim that it knew nothing about the allegations until last year.

“We are here to say publicly and to the world, or to Harrods in front of the world, that it is time that they took responsibility, and it is time that they set matters right, and that is something they should do as soon as possible,” he said.

Lawyer Bruce Drummond said survivors came from all over the world.

“Complainants came from Malaysia, Australia, Italy, Romania, the United States and Canada while one was just 16 when she was allegedly assaulted,” he said.

American lawyer Gloria Allred, who has represented victims in some of the most notorious sexual abuse cases in recent years, including those regarding Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein, said many women had dreamed of working at “the most beautiful store in the world”.

“However, underneath the Harrods glitz and glamour was a toxic, unsafe and abusive environment,” she said.