Retailers conspire to revive Topshop, choosing Asos as primary partner for store sales of the fashion brand.
Topshop's comeback to the High Street is gearing up with a focus on wholesale partnerships before exploring the possibility of standalone retail stores. Asos, part-owner of Topshop, has agreed to launch a Topshop website later this year and collaborate with other retailers to sell the iconic brand in their stores.
Jose Antonio Ramos Calamonte, the brand's boss, shares shoppers' desire to see Topshop 'have its own presence' on the High Street, without completely dismissing future standalone stores. He stated, "The time has come to come back, to be much more present with consumers in the UK, but also globally."
Following Topshop's administration in 2020, Asos stepped in to save the brand. Since then, Asos has sold a 75% stake to its biggest shareholder, Danish billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen. Even with a decrease in sales from £1.3billion to £1.2billion after six months, Calamonte remains optimistic, describing this half-year period as the "strongest sign yet that our transformation strategy is working."
Upon its return, Topshop will initially focus on wholesale partnerships with select third-party retailers through traditional wholesale agreements, rather than pursuing immediate plans for standalone stores or shop-in-shop concessions. The brand will also launch a dedicated Topshop website by late this year. Although the possibility of standalone stores isn't completely off the table for the future, any developments remain speculative.
In the meantime, social media hints suggest an "IRL [in real life] in August" return, with Topshop products likely to be available through partner retailers first. Adapting to an era of online-only retail, Topshop now aims to balance digital and physical presence to recapture the hearts of fashion enthusiasts.
- Jose Antonio Ramos Calamonte, the Topshop boss, expressed his desire for Topshop to have a physical presence on the High Street, while acknowledging the potential for future standalone stores.
- Asos, part-owner of Topshop, is launching a Topshop website later this year and collaborating with other retailers to sell the brand in their stores.
- Danish billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen, the biggest shareholder of Asos, acquired a 75% stake in Topshop following its administration in 2020.
- Topshop is initially focusing on wholesale partnerships with select third-party retailers before exploring the possibility of standalone retail stores.
- In an era of online-only retail, Topshop aims to strike a balance between digital and physical presence to rekindle the interest of fashion enthusiasts.
