Sir Philip Green is pleased to announce that together with LAB Concept, the new contemporary retail subsidiary of Lane Crawford, they have obtained the first site for TOPSHOP in Hong Kong.
The highly anticipated Hong Kong store will have prime street frontage whilst occupying a prestigious corner site within Asia Standard Tower, Queens Road Central, a neighborhood fast becoming a hub for international fashion brands. The store will trade over 12,000 square foot across two floors.
The ground floor features two distinct rooms. The first showcases TOPSHOP fashion lines against a palette of raw concrete and gloss white panels, whilst the second room features the brand's accessories and make up collections.
Upstairs, TOPSHOP's unique sense of fashion extends to a dedicated shoe lounge with custom glass fixtures and a mirrored ceiling. A by-appointment Personal Shopping area offers the full VIP treatment in a dedicated suite off the main floor.
TOPSHOP is renowned around the world for its signature British fashion authority, and last week it was announced that Leonard Green & Partners had taken a 25% equity stake in TOPSHOP/TOPMAN – valuing the joint business at £2 billion.
The iconic 100,000 square foot flagship store in Oxford Circus, London is a magnet for fashion followers worldwide. TOPSHOP has a total of 472 stores, with 324 in the UK, whilst operating in a further 38 countries. Apart from three fully owned flagship stores in the USA, the international business is either franchise or wholesale led.
Recent international openings include Australia, Brazil and South Africa, and significant expansion in the Far East is a key priority, with 27 stores trading in the region and 5 having been opened over the last year.
LAB Concept, a subsidiary of iconic luxury department store Lane Crawford, which recently opened a new contemporary destination in Queensway Plaza, Hong Kong, will manage the partnership. LAB Concept will provide the retail space and operational expertise, including staff and logistics support, while TOPSHOP will manage the merchandising.
Sir Philip Green, owner of TOPSHOP comments: “I am delighted to be launching TOPSHOP in Hong Kong in 2013, with Lane Crawford’s LAB Concept as our chosen partner. Their team’s expertise in the Chinese market is invaluable to us. This is certainly a very exciting step in the continued growth of TOPSHOP as a global, yet uniquely British, brand. I am confident that the fashion-loving Hong Kong customers will enjoy the retail experience and fantastic product offer that TOPSHOP will deliver for them."
Andrew Keith President of Lane Crawford adds: “We are excited to be working with Sir Philip Green and his fantastic team to bring TOPSHOP to the market as a full retail concept that truly represents the creativity and energy of the brand, at a time when the contemporary market in Greater China is booming,”
“TOPSHOP is unique – it leads the way in offering seasonally relevant and exciting fashion with groundbreaking designer collaborations, all at an accessible price point. The timing for market entry couldn’t be better – we are seeing dramatic growth in our own contemporary businesses in Lane Crawford and LAB Concept and we believe there will be great customer anticipation for the launch of TOPSHOP next year. We are looking forward to a long-term partnership with TOPSHOP with the potential to hopefully optimize our multi-channel distribution platform in Greater China,” Mr Keith further comments.
TOPSHOP is the only high street brand to show on schedule at London Fashion Week (LFW), and has recently celebrated ten years of sponsoring New Gen – supporting young British designers and giving them a platform to show within LFW and promote their collections to the international press. It was announced at LFW in February of this year that TOPSHOP will extend its sponsorship of this scheme for a further ten years.
Owned by Sir Philip Green and his family, the Arcadia Group comprises eight of the United Kingdom’s best-known fashion and high street brands, including BHS, Burton, Dorothy Perkins, Evans, Miss Selfridge, Outfit, TOPSHOP, TOPMAN and Wallis each with its own distinctive identity and market segment.
LAB Concept is the contemporary retail management arm of Lane Crawford, working in partnership with leading contemporary brands. It operates a 64,000 square feet mall under the banner of LAB Concept in Hong Kong’s Queensway Plaza.
The mall features its own edit of contemporary fashion brands, an international cosmetic and skincare offer by Face’s and the latest, must-have footwear and accessories brands by Pedder Group’s shoe space. A selection of food and dining concepts completes the experience.
Lane Crawford is a part of The Lane Crawford Joyce Group, Asia’s premier fashion and brand management group, which also includes cutting edge fashion boutique Joyce, fashion footwear, handbags and accessories specialist Pedder Group and retail, brand management and distribution company ImagineX.
Source:
http://www.fibre2fashion.com/news/apparel-news/newsdetails.aspx?news_id=119010
