The Qatari owners of Harrods are planning to launch a line of hotels under the name of the famous luxury London store.

“The target plan is to open Harrods hotels at sites in key cities such as Kuala Lumpur, New York and Paris as well as in China.

“Preference will be given to construct on sites already owned by Qatar Holding or its affiliates, for example at Chelsea Barracks in London or Costa Smeralda in Sardinia.

Qatar Holding ultimately intends to grow Harrods into a global enterprise that defines the luxury retail and leisure sectors.”

The Qatari owners signed a deal yesterday with Malaysian property developer Jerantas to study the launch of a Harrods hotel in Kuala Lumpur.

Qatar Holding bought Harrods from businessman Mohamed Al Fayed for a reported $2.2billion (£1.4bn) in 2010 and was considering adding a luxury hotel on the roof.

Qatar Holding has stakes in British bank Barclays, French luxury conglomerate LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton and high-end American jeweller Tiffany.