Topshop readies for New York opening

The four-floor store, located in the SoHo area of downtown Manhattan, opens as many of its fashion competitors in the area are offering substantial discounts as New York continues to suffer the effects of the recession.

Although the SoHo store is substantially smaller than the flagship Oxford Circus store, large parts of its look and feel will be familiar to shoppers who have visited the London emporium. The layout however is very different.

In New York, the basement has been devoted to Top Man and as well as lifestyle displays, it features a designer area with red walls that is contained in a semi-discrete room. A London-based theme becomes apparent for shoppers riding the escalators, with Union Jack flags and numerous references to the UK’s capital being made with a graphic wall that extends from the basement to the top of the store.

The interior has been created by London consultancy Dalziel + Pow and it is understood that plans to bring many of the store’s interior design elements to the London flagship are at an advanced stage, although nothing has been finalised.

Arcadia owner Philip Green has been quoted in the local press as saying that an expansion plan could see stores being opened in Miami, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Boston, as well as a second New York outlet.