Iconic brand returning to UK high streets – £800m deal | UK | News
Iconic brand returns to UK high streets – £800m deal (Image: Getty)
John Lewis is set to revive a much-loved fashion retailer that has disappeared from Britain’s high street. The company is set to open new Topshop stores in all 32 of its department stores from Tuesday, with the last standalone stores set to close in 2021.
The move comes as part of a wider strategy to introduce new brands for the spring and summer season, linked to John Lewis’ £800 million long-term investment in stores. The John Lewis Partnership confirmed its tie-up with Topshop last year, initially trialling the brand through pop-ups at selected locations. Topshop and its sister brand Topman have been absent from the high street since former owner Arcadia went into administration in 2021.
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The brand was a popular figure on Britain’s high street (Image: Getty)
Following a collapse under owner Arcadia, the label was acquired by Asos, where it continues to be sold exclusively online.
It made a tentative return to brick-and-mortar retailing last year with a launch at its Liberty store in London, and weeks later announced a wider partnership with John Lewis.
The Topshop range will now be stocked in all 32 John Lewis branches, while Topman will be available in seven locations. The product range includes approximately 130 of the brand’s most sought-after products, especially its well-known denim lines.
As part of the relaunch, both Topshop and Topman will also be sold through John Lewis’ online platforms.
Topshop chief executive Michelle Wilson said the move was designed to make buying the labels easier, allowing shoppers to browse the collections in person and purchase their purchases immediately, adding that the John Lewis partnership brought the brand back to high streets across the country and the level of service customers have come to expect.
The move coincides with London Fashion Week and will be followed by a “takeover” of London’s Piccadilly Circus and activities elsewhere in the UK.
The launch comes amid the department store chain’s efforts to boost growth as it continues a major transformation plan under boss Peter Ruis.
It said the brand, which is part of the John Lewis Partnership with supermarket chain Waitrose, was investing in its fashion offering to help drive its current strategy.
Mr Ruis, managing director of John Lewis, said: “This moment marks a significant acceleration of our passion for fashion at John Lewis.
“Being the exclusive home of an iconic brand like Topshop, alongside other exciting new brands, demonstrates our determination to be the definitive style authority on the British high street.”
John Lewis said it will also introduce 14 new fashion, jewelery and accessories brands ahead of this season as part of its efforts to expand its fashion offering.
It also follows a major redesign of the fashionable floors of the retailer’s flagship store on Oxford Street.
Topshop products will be available in the following John Lewis stores:
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- newcastle
- Leeds
- Liverpool
- Trafford, Manchester
- Cheadle, Manchester
- Cardiff, Wales
- Nottingham, Nottinghamshire
- Leicester, Leicestershire
- Solihull, West Midlands
- Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
- Norwich, Norfolk
- Cambridge, Cambridgeshire
- Welwyn, Hertfordshire
- Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire
- Chelmsford, Essex
- Cribbs Pass, Bristol
- Exeter, Devon
- Oxford, Oxfordshire
- High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire
- Reading, Berkshire
- Blue Water City
- Horsham, West Sussex
- Southampton, Hampshire
- Brent Cross, London
- Stratford, London
- Canary Wharf, London
- Oxford Street, London
- Peter Jones, London
- White City, London
- Kingston, London
