Topshop
Encyclopedia
Topshop is a British clothes retailer with shops in over 20 countries and online operations in a number of its markets. Its sales come primarily from women's clothing and fashion accessories. It is part of the Arcadia Group
, which owns a number of other retail outlets including Burton, Dorothy Perkins
and Miss Selfridge
, and is wholly owned by Philip Green
.
The chain was founded in 1964 as Peter Robinson's Top Shop, a youth fashion brand within the Sheffield branch of Peter Robinson, a now-defunct department store chain. The first stand-alone Topshop store was opened in 1974. In 1978, Topman
was created as a spin-off brand to cater for male customers and is now run as a separate chain, although some stores are co-located.
'.
In May 2007, the British supermodel Kate Moss
, designed her first collection for Topshop. The appointment of Moss was announced just before the departure of CEO Jane Shepherdson
.
In July 2007, British artist Stella Vine
designed a limited edition fashion range exclusively for Topshop inspired by her colourful artworks. These included T-shirts, vest tops, and T-shirt dresses, with the labels designed in pink glitter. The Guardian commented that "the fact that the range of T-shirts she has recently designed for Top Shop - emblazoned with slogans like Breaking Up With Her Boyfriend - are flying out, speaks volumes for her public support."
Shiatzy Chen
was approached by Topshop to produce a capsule collection of ready to wear pieces to launch in November 2010.
In the Americas
, Topshop currently has branches in Brazil
, Canada
and the United States
. In Europe
, Topshop has branches in Croatia
, Cyprus
, Gibraltar
, Iceland
, Poland
, the Republic of Ireland
, Russia
, Serbia
, Slovenia
, Spain
, Sweden
, Turkey
and the United Kingdom
. In the Middle East
, the chain has branches in Israel
, Jordan
, Lebanon
, Kuwait
, Qatar
, Saudi Arabia
and the United Arab Emirates
. In South East Asia, the chain has branches in Indonesia
, Japan
, Malaysia, the Philippines
, Singapore
and Thailand
.
After the recent success of the Kate Moss
clothing range, Topshop decided to introduce the range to the United States market. Topshop has struck a deal with U.S. department store Barneys New York
to sell through its 19 stores. Topshop also has a presence in 'Opening Ceremony' in their New York store.
On 1 May 2010, Topshop opened its first New Zealand store. Located on Auckland's North Shore, the shop sold out of some of its ranges before it had even opened. New Zealand designer Karen Walker
visited Britain earlier in the year and selected many of the pieces to be sold in the New Zealand store.
A 2011 expansion of Topshop into Australia, with state-based flagships opened in both New South Wales and Victoria, has also been reported. Topshop's parent company has, however, refused to confirm or deny such an expansion.
is the UK flagship store and the largest fashion store in the world. The store's features include a nail bar, a one-hour tailoring service, a hair salon by catwalk hairdresser Daniel Hersheson, an EAT café/sandwich bar, and a one-hour delivery service whereby customers can place an order to the store and their products will be delivered by Vespa
scooter to them within one hour, providing that they live in the delivery zone. Topshop Oxford Circus is roughly 90000 square feet (8,361.3 m²) and covers five floors. The shop attracts up to 30,000 customers each day. Customers can also access fellow Arcadia Group member Miss Selfridge
, which is situated next door, through the sweet shop.
in New York City. The new store offers services similar to the London outlet.
The New York store is the brand's second largest store after the company's flagship store in London: the New York store is roughly 60000 square feet (5,574.2 m²). Sir Philip Green thinks the New York flagship will be a hit, despite the current economic issues, "People haven't stopped shopping. The young fashion market has still remained pretty resilient during these difficult times."
-style concept store in the United Kingdom, in Liverpool
, England. Located in Liverpool One, the new store provides 60000 square feet (5,574.2 m²) of retail space making it the second largest store in the country. It is the company's north of England flagship store and also contains Topman, an Office and Kurt Geiger shoes outlet, and a Voodoo hair salon.
In February 2011 armed police arrested 19 year old Jed Miller after he wrote "pay your taxes" in washable ink on the wall of a Top Shop branch in Colchester
.
for allegedly using cotton picked in Uzbekistan by slaves, and for refusing to join the Ethical Trading Initiative
.
In response to criticisms about the workings condition of employees in factories producing products for Topshop Philip Green stated: "You [The Sunday Times] are telling me that factories are happy to breach our code of conduct. I've got to look into it." This suggests that if the findings are conclusive, the company will be looking to improve conditions.
Arcadia Group
The Arcadia Group Limited a British company that owns the high street clothing retailers Burton, Dorothy Perkins, Evans, Miss Selfridge, Topman, Topshop, Wallis and BHS, and the out of town chain Outfit, which sells lines from the other group chains...
, which owns a number of other retail outlets including Burton, Dorothy Perkins
Dorothy Perkins
Dorothy Perkins, whose trading name was inspired by a rambler rose of the same name, is a large British women's clothing retailer, active mostly in the United Kingdom.- History :...
and Miss Selfridge
Miss Selfridge
Miss Selfridge is a nationwide UK high street store which began as the young fashion section of Selfridges department store in London in 1966. Miss Selfridge got its name when Charles Clore, the owner of Selfridges at the time, saw a window display in the Bonwit Teller store in New York which...
, and is wholly owned by Philip Green
Philip Green
Sir Philip Green is a British businessman. Green was born into a Jewish family in 1952, beginning as a businessman at the age of 15. The first and last quoted company Green took lead of was "Amber Day", from which he stepped down as CEO and Chairman in 1992...
.
The chain was founded in 1964 as Peter Robinson's Top Shop, a youth fashion brand within the Sheffield branch of Peter Robinson, a now-defunct department store chain. The first stand-alone Topshop store was opened in 1974. In 1978, Topman
Topman
TOPMAN is the stand-alone fashion business counterpart of Topshop that caters exclusively to men’s clothing. A part of the Arcadia Group, which also owns Burton, Miss Selfridge, Wallis, Evans, British Home Stores and Dorothy Perkins, Topman has a chain of high-street men's clothing stores located...
was created as a spin-off brand to cater for male customers and is now run as a separate chain, although some stores are co-located.
Products
Topshop's current trends are 'New Mod', 'Prim and Polished', 'Glam Underground' and 'Bavaria', alongside luxury garments and designer affiliations under 'The BoutiqueBoutique
A boutique is a small shopping outlet, especially one that specializes in elite and fashionable items such as clothing and jewelry. The word is French for "shop", via Latin from Greek ἀποθήκη , "storehouse"....
'.
In May 2007, the British supermodel Kate Moss
Kate Moss
Kate Moss is an English model. Moss is known for her waifish figure and popularising the heroin chic look in the 1990s. She is also known for her controversial private life, high profile relationships, party lifestyle, and drug use. Moss changed the look of modelling and started a global debate on...
, designed her first collection for Topshop. The appointment of Moss was announced just before the departure of CEO Jane Shepherdson
Jane Shepherdson
Jane Shepherdson is the chief executive of UK clothing brand, Whistles and was previously the brand director for high-street women's wear store TopShop....
.
In July 2007, British artist Stella Vine
Stella Vine
Stella Vine is an English artist, who lives and works in London. Her work is figurative painting with subject matter drawn from either her personal life of family, friends and school, or rock stars, royalty and celebrities.After a difficult relationship with her stepfather, she left home and in...
designed a limited edition fashion range exclusively for Topshop inspired by her colourful artworks. These included T-shirts, vest tops, and T-shirt dresses, with the labels designed in pink glitter. The Guardian commented that "the fact that the range of T-shirts she has recently designed for Top Shop - emblazoned with slogans like Breaking Up With Her Boyfriend - are flying out, speaks volumes for her public support."
Shiatzy Chen
Shiatzy Chen
Shiatzy Chen is a Taiwanese fashion house, whose founder and brand innovator Wang Chen Tsai-Hsia is often referred to as the Chanel of Taiwan,and is the eponym of her luxury goods brand. She was born in 1951 in Changhua, Taiwan and founded the company in 1978...
was approached by Topshop to produce a capsule collection of ready to wear pieces to launch in November 2010.
Stores
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
, Topshop currently has branches in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Topshop has branches in Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
, Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
, Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. In the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, the chain has branches in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
, Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
, Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
, Qatar
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
and the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
. In South East Asia, the chain has branches in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Malaysia, the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
.
After the recent success of the Kate Moss
Kate Moss
Kate Moss is an English model. Moss is known for her waifish figure and popularising the heroin chic look in the 1990s. She is also known for her controversial private life, high profile relationships, party lifestyle, and drug use. Moss changed the look of modelling and started a global debate on...
clothing range, Topshop decided to introduce the range to the United States market. Topshop has struck a deal with U.S. department store Barneys New York
Barneys New York
Barneys New York is a chain of luxury department stores headquartered in New York City. The chain owns large stores in New York City, Beverly Hills, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas, Las Vegas, and Scottsdale, and smaller stores in other locations across the United States.Brands sold include...
to sell through its 19 stores. Topshop also has a presence in 'Opening Ceremony' in their New York store.
On 1 May 2010, Topshop opened its first New Zealand store. Located on Auckland's North Shore, the shop sold out of some of its ranges before it had even opened. New Zealand designer Karen Walker
Karen Walker
Karen Walker is a noted New Zealand fashion designer. She left school, after attending Epsom Girls Grammar School in 1988 to begin her fashion training, graduating in 1990. She has said that she started with NZ$100, which she used for material for a shirt. By 1995, she had opened two stores...
visited Britain earlier in the year and selected many of the pieces to be sold in the New Zealand store.
A 2011 expansion of Topshop into Australia, with state-based flagships opened in both New South Wales and Victoria, has also been reported. Topshop's parent company has, however, refused to confirm or deny such an expansion.
Oxford Street, London
Topshop Oxford StreetOxford Street
Oxford Street is a major thoroughfare in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, United Kingdom. It is Europe's busiest shopping street, as well as its most dense, and currently has approximately 300 shops. The street was formerly part of the London-Oxford road which began at Newgate,...
is the UK flagship store and the largest fashion store in the world. The store's features include a nail bar, a one-hour tailoring service, a hair salon by catwalk hairdresser Daniel Hersheson, an EAT café/sandwich bar, and a one-hour delivery service whereby customers can place an order to the store and their products will be delivered by Vespa
Vespa
Vespa is an Italian brand of scooter manufactured by Piaggio. The name means wasp in Italian.The Vespa has evolved from a single model motor scooter manufactured in 1946 by Piaggio & Co. S.p.A...
scooter to them within one hour, providing that they live in the delivery zone. Topshop Oxford Circus is roughly 90000 square feet (8,361.3 m²) and covers five floors. The shop attracts up to 30,000 customers each day. Customers can also access fellow Arcadia Group member Miss Selfridge
Miss Selfridge
Miss Selfridge is a nationwide UK high street store which began as the young fashion section of Selfridges department store in London in 1966. Miss Selfridge got its name when Charles Clore, the owner of Selfridges at the time, saw a window display in the Bonwit Teller store in New York which...
, which is situated next door, through the sweet shop.
Broadway, New York City
Topshop's first flagship store outside the United Kingdom is located on BroadwayBroadway (New York City)
Broadway is a prominent avenue in New York City, United States, which runs through the full length of the borough of Manhattan and continues northward through the Bronx borough before terminating in Westchester County, New York. It is the oldest north–south main thoroughfare in the city, dating to...
in New York City. The new store offers services similar to the London outlet.
The New York store is the brand's second largest store after the company's flagship store in London: the New York store is roughly 60000 square feet (5,574.2 m²). Sir Philip Green thinks the New York flagship will be a hit, despite the current economic issues, "People haven't stopped shopping. The young fashion market has still remained pretty resilient during these difficult times."
Liverpool One, Liverpool
In the summer of 2009, Topshop opened its first ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
-style concept store in the United Kingdom, in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, England. Located in Liverpool One, the new store provides 60000 square feet (5,574.2 m²) of retail space making it the second largest store in the country. It is the company's north of England flagship store and also contains Topman, an Office and Kurt Geiger shoes outlet, and a Voodoo hair salon.
By location
| : 22: 16:11: 9: 9: 8: 8: 8: 8: 7: 5: 5: 5: 4: 4: 4: 3: 1: 3: 3: 3: 2: 2: 2: 1: 1: 1: 1: 1: 1: 1 |
Criticism
Taxation
On 4 December 2010, campaigners staged a sit-in at Topshop's flagship Oxford Street store, and in Brighton a few glued themselves to the branch windows, while other high streets in towns and cities across Britain saw similar protests in a day of action against the tax arrangements of rich individuals and big businesses.In February 2011 armed police arrested 19 year old Jed Miller after he wrote "pay your taxes" in washable ink on the wall of a Top Shop branch in Colchester
Colchester
Colchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As the...
.
Suppliers
Topshop has been criticized by student campaigning network People & PlanetPeople & Planet
People & Planet is a network of student campaign groups in the UK. It claims to be "the largest student campaigning organization in the country campaigning to alleviate world poverty, defend human rights and protect the environment."-Organization:...
for allegedly using cotton picked in Uzbekistan by slaves, and for refusing to join the Ethical Trading Initiative
Ethical Trading Initiative
The Ethical Trading Initiative is an alliance of companies, trade unions and voluntary organisations working in partnership to improve the working lives of people across the globe who make or grow consumer goods....
.
In response to criticisms about the workings condition of employees in factories producing products for Topshop Philip Green stated: "You [The Sunday Times] are telling me that factories are happy to breach our code of conduct. I've got to look into it." This suggests that if the findings are conclusive, the company will be looking to improve conditions.