Luxury department store Harrods has cancelled its famous Santa's Grotto attraction this year in favour of other festive "surprises and treats".
It comes three years after the high-end retailer was criticised for only allowing customers with a Green tier two or above Harrods Rewards card - which means they've spent at least £2,000 in the shop - to use the grotto.
After the backlash, the Knightsbridge store announced it would allow 160 “lower-spending” families the chance to buy the £20 a visit tickets, with the remaining 4,240 10-minute Santa meet-and-greet slots reserved for the higher spending customers.
The Santa grotto was then cancelled two years in a row because of Covid and social distancing rules.
This week a spokesperson for Harrods told MyLondon the attraction will not be back for 2022.
According to a Harrods spokesperson, one of the new features this year will be "‘The Wonderful World of Dior’, an exclusive and exceptional partnership with Dior".
They said: "From November 10 2022 until January 3 2023, a spectacular new mise-en-scène will adorn Harrods and create a magical atmosphere throughout the store.”
At the time of the grotto controversy in 2019, dad James Browne, who had made an annual pilgrimage to the Harrods grotto since his 15-year-old son, Toby, was a baby, told The Guardian that the department store was "behaving like the Grinch who stole Christmas".
"They have lost the true meaning of Christmas and given into the commercialisation of the season. Visiting Father Christmas shouldn’t be reserved for those that are fortunate enough to frequent the store and spend thousands of pounds. A visit to Father Christmas at a magical shop like Harrods should be for all."
The marketing director added: "I think the owners need to have a long hard look at the longer-term impact on their business for the thousands of children who won’t grow up with a fond feeling for the store.”
The department store would manage a team of 10 actors to play the role of Father Christmas, with three working in separate sections of the grotto at the same time.
