Topshop is making a nationwide return to bricks-and-mortar retail, launching in 32 John Lewis shops in its most vital excessive avenue comeback because the collapse of Arcadia Group in 2020.
The relaunch, which additionally sees Topman stocked in seven John Lewis areas, marks the primary time in 4 years that the model has returned to bodily retail at scale.
Topshop’s authentic Oxford Avenue flagship was as soon as a defining pressure in British trend, famously drawing crowds when Kate Moss launched her assortment in 2007. Its revival inside John Lewis shops goals to recapture a few of that cultural resonance.
After Arcadia entered administration, Topshop was acquired by Asos, which later bought a 75 per cent stake within the model to Heartland, the funding arm of Danish billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen, founding father of Bestseller.
Traditionally related to consumers aged 16 to 24, Topshop now returns through a retailer historically recognized for interesting to an older demographic. John Lewis stated the transfer is designed to broaden its enchantment to youthful shoppers whereas reconnecting with millennials who grew up with the model.
The division retailer chain has been rebuilding its place after years of intense competitors from rivals equivalent to Marks & Spencer, a pandemic-driven shift in direction of on-line purchasing and former enlargement missteps that left it with extra retail area.
Beneath a brand new management workforce, John Lewis has pursued a back-to-basics technique, specializing in customer support, reintroducing its “by no means knowingly undersold” pledge and investing closely in its in-store expertise.
The Topshop relaunch coincides with London Vogue Week and options round 130 items throughout denim, tailoring, outerwear and wardrobe staples. Signature kinds such because the Jamie and Joni denims return alongside up to date designs. Cara Delevingne fronts the brand new marketing campaign.
Peter Ruis, managing director of John Lewis, described the partnership as a big step in its trend technique. “To be the unique dwelling of an iconic model like Topshop alerts our ambition to be the definitive type authority on the British excessive avenue,” he stated.
Michelle Wilson, managing director of Topshop, stated the partnership would deliver the model again to excessive streets throughout the UK “with the extent of service our prospects anticipate”.
The relaunch varieties a part of a wider £800m multi-year funding by John Lewis, which incorporates refurbishments of key shops, notably its Oxford Avenue flagship, and the introduction of 14 new trend manufacturers throughout womenswear and menswear.
For Topshop, the transfer represents a symbolic return to bodily retail. For John Lewis, it’s a calculated wager that model nostalgia and refreshed trend credentials will help reignite footfall on Britain’s struggling excessive streets.
