Topshop to Go Global!

[kimair]

Originally Posted by PrincessImp.

I really hope that the website will ship internationally!

me too...
i already see stuff on the website i want...

[LoveMyBoots]

Even though I live in Los Angeles, and would love to know what is so great about Topshop, I think it's best that they don't open a store here.

Originally Posted by New York Times

But Will It Play in Manhattan?
By RUTH LA FERLA
New York Times
Published: June 21, 2006


Jean-Phillipe Defaut for The New York Times
At Topshop in London, the merchandise is extensive, and ever-changing thanks to the company's strategy of refreshing supply lines every few weeks.


Ticking off the days before her departure for London last month, Victoria Thompson, a news associate at CBS, checked her itinerary. The National Gallery, for sure, she said, and maybe the Serpentine, another gallery. But also on the don't-miss list was Topshop, the cavernous fashion emporium in Oxford Circus that has become a mecca for disposable chic.

When they visit London, Ms. Thompson and her sister, Antonia, prowl the store for the stovepipe jeans, bubble skirts and granny boots and the Stella McCartney and Marni look-alikes that they scoop up by the armload. "My wardrobe is largely Topshop-based," Antonia Thompson confided. "I cannot wait for the day that the store is here."

She may get her wish. Philip Green, whose company, the Arcadia Group, owns Topshop along with several other British retailers, was in New York in late April to scout a site for a New York flagship. The store could open as early as next spring.

With their sensitive fashion antennas and tight grips on their purse strings, the Thompsons, both in their 20's, represent the kind of American consumer Topshop plans to court: knowledgeable and demanding, with a near insatiable appetite for novelty and a bargain.

Topshop feeds that appetite with multiple daily deliveries that capitalize on a stepped-up fashion cycle, in which new trends emerge and reach stores within weeks, not months, of their debut on runways.

The chain is not the first to offer those attractions. Its chief European-based rivals — Zara, Mexx, Mango and H&M Hennes & Mauritz, which already have branches in the United States — also sell inexpensive, fresh-looking fashion. But Topshop offers a wider selection of cutting-edge styles, clothing that is better made, though somewhat more costly, than its competitors.

The proposed New York store would be 60,000 to 90,000 square feet, Mr. Green told reporters in April, a fashion outpost on a scale unmatched in any American city by any specialty clothing store.

The Oxford Circus flagship is a four-level, 90,000-square-foot behemoth that draws an average of 28,000 people a day, more than half of whom buy something. That is eye-popping when one considers that Bloomingdale's, which sells more than just fashion, gets 45,000 visitors a day in a space more than 10 times that size.

Mr. Green and Jane Shepherdson, the brand director for Topshop, have been somewhat reticent about their plans. But they have made no secret of their endgame: to turn Topshop — which across Europe operates about 290 stores, and an additional 165 Topman stores, as well as 30 franchised stores — into a global brand.

The venture is risky, Ms. Shepherdson acknowledged. "I'm not at all sure that there is a truly global merchandise mix, and I'm also not sure that Topshop is a global brand," she said. "But I think that certain markets have a lot of similarities."

Both New York and London, she said, "have a real love of fashion and a very demanding customer base that wants something new all the time."

To succeed in New York, Topshop needs to replicate the heady experience of the hunt at the Oxford Circus store. That store is in the most heavily trafficked shopping district in London, an area that is home to Marks & Spencer, Debenhams, John Lewis, Boots and a string of specialty shops.

Finding a suitable location in New York is crucial. Ideally, it would be in a popular shopping area like Herald Square or near Bloomingdale's at the intersection of 59th Street and Lexington. And making sure Topshop can duplicate the Oxford Circus experience requires overcoming an "enormous number of logistical challenges," Ms. Shepherdson said. Topshop may even consider hiring its own cargo plane to ensure a flow of merchandise that can keep pace with the London operation.

At peak shopping periods, the Topshop at Oxford Circus ferries in goods by the truckload, with two to three deliveries of fresh merchandise a day and 7,000 distinct looks each season. It operates on the models of Zara and H&M, which refresh supply lines every other week, in striking contrast to mass merchants like Gap, which operates on a cycle of 10 weeks or more.

Like those mass merchants, Topshop's manufacturing is mostly done abroad, about 25 percent in China, 10 percent in Mauritius, 5 percent in India. Much of the rest comes from European factories.



Jean-Phillipe Defaut for The New York Times
Topshop's flagship store in London has thousands of square feet of fashions.


Ms. Shepherdson said Topshop was able to move so quickly because its orders were much smaller than other retailers' and its manufacturers were "prepared to be very flexible." In addition, she said, "our internal processes are streamlined, and the decision-making is fast and direct."

A thrumming emporium that boasts its own radio station and regularly stages its own runway shows, the London flagship generates sales approaching $200 million a year, or more than $2,000 a square foot, the company said, double the average sales at other Topshop branches. Total sales for the chain from the third quarter of 2004 to the third quarter of 2005 were about $922 million.

Despite all the retailers already in the United States, the store would arrive in New York at an opportune moment, poised to make the most of a definitive shift in the way that many Americans shop. At one time, it was the norm for consumers to return consistently to the same handful of stores that catered to their style and budget.

Today, by contrast, "no one owns a customer anymore; everyone shops everywhere," said Howard Davidowitz, the chairman of Davidowitz & Associates, a national retail consulting firm. "And nobody minds mixing cheaper things with more expensive ones."

Indeed, among those who can afford it, it has become a commonplace to accessorize say, a $30 Luella Bartley dress from Target with a $1,450 handbag from Chloé or Fendi, the European luxury brands.

That openness to shopping in a variety of stores has been a boon for specialty retailers like H&M and Mexx, whose sales grew more than 7 percent from April 2005 to April 2006, according to the NPD Group, which tracks consumer spending patterns. In contrast, department store apparel sales were essentially flat in the same period.

Topshop plays to — and feeds — the fashion speed-up. "At no time in memory have we seen such an accelerated fashion cycle," said Robert Burke, a retail consultant in New York, whose clients include Bergdorf Goodman.

Ms. Shepherdson, who has been widely credited as the marketing wizard behind Topshop, insists on the multiple daily deliveries. By keeping manufacturing runs limited, Topshop has created what Ms. Shepherdson calls a "dynamic of desperation," that has customers feverishly zooming in on sought-after items, enticing them to visit all the time.

Some merchandise, though in plentiful supply at the time the store opens, tend to vanish by midday. The kaleidoscopic assortment is pitched to a 16- to 34-year-old urban woman. New shipments generate a frenzy much like the one at an H&M store in Manhattan last November, when customers lined up hours before opening time for a chance to buy a limited-edition bargain-priced trench coat or oversize sweaters designed by Stella McCartney. They picked the racks clean within hours.

Topshop appears willing to accept somewhat lower profits to achieve its goals. Mr. Davidowitz said he was not sure what Topshop's profit margins were but estimated them at about 7 to 8 percent, after all costs and before taxes. He compared this with H&M, which makes about 15 percent, and Abercrombie & Fitch, which makes 20 percent.

Though comparisons with H&M are inevitable, the two chains differ in telling ways. It is difficult, retail experts say, to compete with the sheer depth and breadth of merchandise at Topshop's London flagship. Even Topshop itself does not try: it dwarfs other stores in the chain, which average about 17,000 square feet.

To gain some idea of its scale and scope, "you have to imagine the total main floor of Macy's in Herald Square filled with a never-ending assortment of terrific, fresh fast fashion," said Arnold Aronson, the managing director of retail strategies at Kurt Salmon Associates, a consulting firm in New York.

The London flagship sells capsule collections from well-known and emerging British designers like Zandra Rhodes, Emma Cook and Jonathan Saunders, as well as the progressive Unique line, conceived by a team of internal designers.

The store also offers a maternity collection with its own entrance on Regents Street, tall and petites shops, a lingerie department and an entire floor dedicated to vintage fashions. There is the Topman men's shop and a children's line, Topshop mini.

And its services go beyond providing up-to-the-minute clothes. Topshop workers even deliver purchases by scooter to shoppers' homes, and a team of style advisers helps customers mix and match $70 capri pants and $20 T-shirts. It plans to offer similar handholding in New York.

Topshop's rivals say that they can hold their own against its expansion. "Our philosophy has always been to have fashion and quality and the best price," said Sanna Lindberg, the president of American operations for H&M. "I think we will continue to be popular even if Topshop shows up. They would just be another player."

To acquaint Americans with its wares, Topshop plans to expand its Web site in September, offering about 800 styles, or all of what is available in its London stores. The chain has already wiggled a toe in New York's retail waters, introducing a shop within a shop in partnership with Opening Ceremony, a boutique in downtown Manhattan.

Topshop's entering New York "will be a very big deal," Mr. Davidowitz, the retail consultant, predicted. "This would really be a powerhouse that would impact every fashion retailer in New York."

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/21/bu...pagewanted=all

[Yppe]

Originally Posted by susie_bubble

But if it's anything like the Topshop in Singapore then it's really nothing to get excited about.........the Topshop in Singapore is appalling! Nothing like the one in London.....

That's what happens here too, Top Shop in Barcelona has some great things, but nothing compared to the UK ones, and in addition is the most expensive Hight Street shop.

[*Sunrise_Serena*]

Yep I totally agree with you ^^ The TopShop over here is nothing like the ones in London..I mean it's nice to have a TopShop over here but I'd rather fly to London for a weekend and get some stúff in the shop on Oxford Street..There is just an enourmous selection and over here it's just way overprized..I guess if you've been to the Shop on Oxford Street, you'll always want to come back So I guess overall I don't think TopShop should be available world-wide..I like the way it is, it's kinda unique and really they don't need to open more stores like here in Barcelona...

[twin star]

source: guardian

Now Topshop struts its stuff in Moscow

· Fashion store plans a global challenge
· Chain to open for business in New York and Tokyo

Paula Cocozza
Saturday June 24, 2006
The Guardian


When Topshop became the first high-street store to show at London fashion week on the official schedule last September, it confirmed its climb from a cheap-chic haven for teenage girls to a high-fashion destination. It is the best friend of the wardrobe, dazzling yet dependable, for everyone from fashion foot soldiers to fashion editors, young mothers to Madonna. Now it is planning to take on the world.

Come October, builders permitting, Topshop will open its first store in Moscow, a tower of glass and steel in the European shopping mall just off the city centre. By then a Topshop "jeans bar" will be open in Barneys (the New York equivalent to Harvey Nichols), a shrine to the Baxter jean - the super-skinny style that has averaged UK sales of 18,000 a week since its release last August, and which is shrinkwrapping the legs of women up and down the country. Eight looks from the higher priced Topshop Unique line will be selling from the supremely fashionable 10 Corso Como Comme des Garcons store in Tokyo. Given that Philip Green, owner of the Arcadia retail group, has recently been spotted in New York looking for sites for a flagship store, this looks for all the world like a bullish expansion policy.

"Oh dear," says Jane Shepherdson, Topshop's brand manager. "I am generally nervous about Topshop abroad. I don't think for one minute it's an easy or obvious thing to do. Everyone else seems to think it is, but I don't. I don't see Topshop as an H&M, for example, which is everywhere." What makes the difference, she says, is that Topshop is "quite British, and British people are more interested in fashion for the sake of it, as opposed to fashion to make you look sexy or pretty".

Nothing summarises this approach as well as the "Kate Moss" vest, a round-necked top that somehow contrives to offer exactly the right gradient of strap for £6, and which owes its nickname to the supermodel's predilection for it. Available in 15 colours (and a perfect fit with those Baxter jeans), it epitomises Topshop's encouragement in its shoppers of experimentation: the point of a vest that looks, en masse, like a uniform is that you have to make it your own.

Shepherdson may be worried, but in Moscow, where the Topshop team reported sightings of window displays in which many a wonky wig sat askew an disspirited mannequin, that kind of idiosyncratic experimentation could be exactly what will make the store work.

Aliona Doletskaya has been editor of Russian Vogue for eight years and has seen "huge changes" in that time. "What does the arrival of Topshop say about Moscow? It says that people are getting more sophisticated, funnily enough. They are getting - how shall I say? - more entrepreneurial. I can go to Topshop and I can find something I really love, and I can style it as I wish. It turns the shopper into an entrepreneur; it opens up creativity. It will bring entrepreneurial fashion.

"In Russia the high street is not as well-developed as it is in the UK. Zara is here, Mexx is here, Kookai is here. But more and more young people are becoming increasingly aware of fashion. They need fashion dressing," says Doletskaya. "While they're still 16 to 25 they may not be able to afford three pairs of Gucci jeans and an Yves Saint Laurent dress. They would rather go and try to be fashionable thanks to Topshop." Topshop in Moscow will be modelled on Topshop in Manchester, where hand-drawn murals sweep around curvy walls and mirror balls swing from the ceiling. Shepherdson already has ideas for "in-store theatre" playing out in her head. There will be catwalk shows, partnerships with young Russian designers and sponsorship of Moscow fashion week. The store will stock around 2,000 lines. When New York eventually opens, it will be different again.

But will it work? "Topshop was one of the pioneers of franchising," says Nick Bubb, a retailing analyst for Evolution Securities. Indeed, the chain has amassed 88 franchises in 29 countries worldwide, from Chile to Israel. A second Moscow store is already planned with Russian partners Firma Enrof, as are two further openings in St Petersburg. And while Shepherdson insists that she and Green "have talked about New York" but "it's still at the extremely early stages", Topshop Unique is already stocked at a Soho boutique called Opening Ceremony, where, according to its manager, Humberto Leon, "it has a real following already. Within the first three days of new stock coming in, 50-60% of it has gone. It's huge". When Topshop relaunches its website in time for Christmas, selling the same stock as the Oxford Circus flagship to Australia, Ireland and the US, the world will seem to have shrunk again.

Wider horizons
· The patron saint of British fashion, M&S, has over the years attempted to embed itself in hearts and wardrobes across France, Germany and Spain, but in 2001 the company had to admit European defeat and close its 38 wholly owned, but loss-making stores. Since then M&S has decided to focus its international expansion on franchises.

· French Connection may still be bruised from its self-inflicted FCUK injuries at home, but meanwhile views Asia as its most successful and biggest growing market, introducing "Japan's first FCUK" in 2001.

· Over at River Island, they are set to open their first European flagship store in Amsterdam Meanwhile, Mothercare is having a huge push in India.

· However, it is Mulberry that is likely to be an instant success abroad over the next few years. Thanks to the label's signature bags, including multi-pocketed Roxanne, left, it this week announced pre-tax profits up from £1.7m to £6.2m, on turnover up 44% to £43.4m. It will open its first New York store in August, followed by a push in Asia.

[Bluestar07]

Originally Posted by Sunrise_Serena06

Yep I totally agree with you ^^ The TopShop over here is nothing like the ones in London..I mean it's nice to have a TopShop over here but I'd rather fly to London for a weekend and get some stúff in the shop on Oxford Street..There is just an enourmous selection and over here it's just way overprized..I guess if you've been to the Shop on Oxford Street, you'll always want to come back So I guess overall I don't think TopShop should be available world-wide..I like the way it is, it's kinda unique and really they don't need to open more stores like here in Barcelona...

I feel the same way too. Somehow if everyone on the street is wearing the same thing, I won't want to wear it anymore.

[Aby]

And what about Paris??? So frustating!

[lucy92]

from wwd

Topshop Settles, Targets U.S.
Topshop, the U.K. retailer, is reigniting its American expansion plans after settling a suit over rights to the Topshop name in the U.S.

Arcadia, the parent of the fast-fashion retailer, was sued in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York last month by Nevada Apparel Corp., a New York-based women's clothing company, which claimed it owned the mark in the U.S.

Philip Green, Arcadia's owner, said Wednesday the litigation has now been settled. Nevada has agreed to relinquish its claim to the Topshop name and to transfer all its rights to Arcadia. The settlement has been approved by the court. Green declined to disclose terms of the settlement. Peter Sloane, an attorney with Ostrolenk, Faber, Gerb & Soffen LLP, which represented Nevada Apparel, also declined to comment on the agreement.

"We are now in control of the brand," Green told WWD. "But what this litigation did was to reveal the vast amount of interest from all sectors in Topshop coming to America."

Green revealed in June that Topshop was planning to open a store in the U.S., probably in New York, as soon as next spring. The store will aim to replicate the Topshop flagship in London, and will be 60,000 to 90,000 square feet in size. Topshop then would expand into other areas of the U.S.

The billionaire retail tycoon said the London store has been performing strongly in the last few weeks, with double-digit comp-store sales increases over a year ago.

While Green indicated in June that he had found a potential site for a New York store, he said he now will have to restart the process. At this stage, it is unclear whether the first Topshop store in America will be in New York. He hopes to open a store in America within the next year.

"There are points for and against," Green said. "New York has an element of safety but some experienced U.S. retailers tell me it isn't a good proving ground for the rest of the U.S. But what we have received over the last few weeks is significant interest from major U.S. retailers in partnering with us in the U.S. We are thinking that they could take a 10 to 20 percent interest in the American operation and help us with such things as staffing and logistics and we are prepared to discuss that."

Meanwhile, Topshop is pushing forward with plans to launch a new platform for its Web site. It currently has a transactional Web site in the U.K., but Green said the retailer hopes to launch a new version that would enable overseas consumers to buy from the site. The updated Web site should go live before Christmas, he said.

As for speculation that Green might step into the bidding for David's Bridal, the retail chain being sold by Federated Department Stores, the British executive dismissed it. "I don't know anyone named David who's getting married," he quipped.

Nevada Apparel plans to rebrand its Top­shop women's wear. "Nevada looks forward to continuing to serve that customer base with fashionable women's apparel," said Robert C. Faber, a partner at Ostrolenk, Faber, Gerb & Soffen, in a statement.

[emma peel]

i went to topshop in oxford circus last nov., and boy was it a circus.

i waited in line for the bathroom and left.

i think with the exchange rate so bad for the dollar, the stuff is just pricey (for what it is) for americans. a glance over the shoe selection seemed interesting, however

[sugarbabefairy]

I've just come back from a very expensive Topshop shopping trip! Although the prices are still resonable, I think they've increased quite alot over the past 3 years. As a student you get 10% discount and I think the probably realised that they lost alot of money because of this so they've put their prices up 10%. It's still highstreet prices but you're paying about 30pounds for a jumper and 45pounds for a dress.

[lucy92]

agreed, i went to a topshop store in madrid this month and the prices (partly due to the terrible exchange rate) were outrageously high.

i think topshop is definitely going to have to adjust their prices when they get here. or they'll be in for a rude awakening.

[softgrey]

this should be interesting....
60-90,000 sq feet is huge....
that is what some of the h&m's look like here...


but i agree...
topshop prices are high compared to what americans are used to for 'trendy' shops...ie-zara, h&m...

i know it will do ok in ny..
but as the article mentions...that doesn't meant that it will do well elsewhere in the US market...

i know that reiss opened not too long ago..
i have to say that the prices are completely over the top for what it is...
*career clothing-competing with stores like banana republlic...
with dresses for $600 sometimes......

topshop isn't so bad- but it is definitely too high...
it's not going to work unless they can work that out better...

[lucy92]

a reiss just opened on newbury street in boston. i went in expecting banana republic prices and was surprised.

i bet that the store will have to close. this doesnt bode well for the rest of the country either.

and yeah, americans wont pay out for fast fashion.

[leyla m.]

reiss IS overpriced... even in the UK , but this is the fault of the UK HIGHT STREET SHOPS phenomenon! they are everywhere ( chain like) but some expect customers to pay boutique like prices (see also karen millen.. very poor stuff)

however, TOPSHOP imo is a lifestyle. it is something else. it has a potential that noone else on the high street has not even in the US.

if prices stay the same as in the UK; id say it is the mot genius idea to go to the US

@ABY,

believe it or not COLLETTE in PARIS stocks TOPSHOP jeans and other bits and pieces.. check it out

[Aby]

Thanks Leyla m. that's very nice of you.

I actually went to Colette a few months ago, though it's not my favourite store, and could only find a few pieces and not the most interesting ones.
There used to be Topshop corners in some parisian department stores like the Galeries Lafayette with far more exciting stuff than what is in Colette, sadly.

Thanks to Eurostar, I take a day trip once in a while to visit Topshop on Oxford street. I do hope that one day a "real" store opens in Paris.