Topshop Australia will target shopping centres in 2015, confirming to Inside Retail PREMIUM it is already eyeing several key mall locations. The move comes as the retailer, operated locally by Next Athleisure, prepares to open its largest store to date at Melbourne’s Emporium in August. Topshop has four stores in Australia – two in Melbourne and one in both Sydney and Brisbane. The UK-based brand was one of the first fast fashion chains to arrive in Australia, following hot on the
heels of Spanish retailer, Zara, with a 1300sqm Topshop and Topman store at the Jam Factory on Melbourne’s Chapel St in 2011.
Hilton Seskin, owner of Next Athleisure, told Inside Retail PREMIUM exclusively that the brand will seek more suburban shopping malls next year after it establishes itself in the main cities.
“We want to establish ourselves in the main cities and then get some suburban malls open. We’re looking at that for 2015,” Seskin said.
“I can’t say the locations, but we do have some key sites.”
One of these is speculated to be within AMP’s new Macquarie Centre redevelopment.
Topshop’s second Melbourne store opened at Highpoint Shopping Centre last year as part of the mall’s $300 million redevelopment, and was the retailer’s first foray into an Australian shopping centre.
The first store outside of Melbourne opened in Sydney in the city’s iconic Gowings building in October 2012, with Brisbane launching at the end of last year.
Topshop has been billed as one of the flagship stores of Melbourne’s Emporium, and Seskinsays the store will have several points of difference compared to the existing local network.
“Every store is going to have that little bit extra difference, but given it’s the largest store we have to date there will be some points of difference.”
Next Athleisure has also confirmed that Topshop will be heading west, opening a 2200sqm Topshop and Topman store in Perth’s revamped Carillon City later this year.
Seskin says he does not have a target number of stores for the British-based fashion brand in Australia, with the rollout to be based on the right sites and the right opportunities.
“We haven’t said how many stores we want to have. It’s more about where we want to be, and we’re willing to wait for the right site.”
Earlier this month, Next Athleisure opened Australia’s inaugural Denham the Jeanmaker store, first introduced to the Australian market via its Glue Store chain.
Next Athleisure will also open the first standalone concept for UK womenswear label, Miss Selfridge, in Melbourne in 2015.
