Arcadia owner Sir Philip Green reveals plans for London revamp in time for Fashion Week as New York store opens. As part of the plan, he is to build on Topshop’s groundbreaking US launch in New York with a revamp of the chain’s London flagship in time for Fashion Week.
The billionaire tycoon will incorporate design elements from the Manhattan shop at Oxford Circus, which is one of the most iconic and successful fashion stores in the world and generates weekly sales of more than £2.5m.
As part of the overhaul, space devoted to Topman – which was Arcadia’s best-performing chain last year – will be doubled through the creation of a new floor, and features such as a VIP lounge will be introduced.
The budget for the project has already been agreed and work is due to start imminently. Speaking at the opening of the New York store, Green told Retail Week: “We’re about to sign up a new shopfit for London. We will evolve what we’ve done here. I just signed off the capital for it last night. We’re going to launch it for London Fashion Week in September.”
Although some aspects of the New York store, such as navigation and graphics, may be replicated, Green was clear that Oxford Circus would retain its distinct identity. He said: “Topshop here is very different from London.”
The Manhattan store was designed by London consultancy Dalziel + Pow and it is understood that, following a tendering process, the agency is also likely to work on the London shop.
Topshop’s star-studded US opening generated queues two blocks long and Green was pleased with the reaction to the fashion and the shop’s design. The entrepreneur said: “If you go to any designer on the planet and give them a blank sheet of paper with a new site and a fresh brief, and you’re not trading in your traditional market and you give them a little bit of licence, you’re going to get something fresh.”
Topshop in London has four floors, like the 40,000 square feet New York outlet, but its selling area is almost twice the size of its transatlantic sister.
Source: Retail week
