Topshop
 | |
| Company type | Subsidary of Arcadia Group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Fashion Clothing Textiles |
| Founded | 1964 (formed within a department store) |
| Headquarters |  London, England, UK,under Arcadia Group LTD |
Area served | United Kingdom Republic of Ireland United States of America Australia  Sweden |
| Products | Women's retail fashion |
| Website | Official Website |
Topshop is a chain of clothing stores situated throughout the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland and over 30 other countries.
Its primary sales come from a range of products including clothing and fashion accessories. Although in the 1980s Topshop was considered to be deeply unfashionable, the chain has reinvented itself as a fashionable brand[1]. This reinvention has included the introduction of a 'Unique' line of clothes, a more upmarket selection of fashion, and a regular show at London Fashion Week, the only high street brand to do so.
The store has offered a number of celebrity and designer collections, including by artist Stella Vine [2] and supermodel Kate Moss, whose collection was released on 1 May 2007.[3] The appointment of Moss was announced just before the departure of CEO Jane Shepherdson.
Topshop's flagship store is located in Oxford Street, London. Other flagship stores are located in Birmingham - Bullring, Nottingham- Victoria, Manchester- Arndale, Glasgow- Argyle Street and Cardiff Queen Street and Belfast Victoria square. Topshop is owned by the Arcadia Group, which owns a number of other retail outlets including Burton, Dorothy Perkins, Miss Selfridge, Evans, Wallis, and Outfit.
Several branches of Topshop can be found outside the United Kingdom, most notably in the Republic of Ireland, Gibraltar, Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and the Philippines. The chain also includes stores in Iceland, Sweden, Spain, Croatia, Slovenia, Russia, Austria, Turkey, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. Its male-clothing counterpart, Topman, is a standalone business.
After the recent success of the Kate Moss clothing range, Topshop has decided to introduce the range to the United States market. Topshop has struck a deal with U.S. department store Barneys New York to sell through its 19 stores.[4]
Products
Topshop is mainly known for its women's clothing, however in the late 1990's Topman was created and offers menswear. Currently Topshop's 'Trends' are 'Modern Romance', 'Jet Set', 'Iris', and The Kate Moss Collection.
Criticism
 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (April 2008) |
Topshop have recently been criticized in The Sunday Times [citation needed] for the exploitation of Indian, Sri Lankan, and Bangladeshi employees in the factories that manufacture Topshop clothing in Mauritius.
The article states that prospective workers are sought out by agents on the Indian subcontinent with the promise that they will receive five-times their current wages. According to the article, the reality is very different with workers reported to receive between £0.22 and £0.40 per hour for their labours, about 40% of the Mauritian average wage. Some people have expressed that the workers were fully aware of the conditions and pay at the time of recruitment. The Arcadia Group, which owns Topshop, does not directly own the factories that employs the workers and maintains that the premises and working conditions are regularly monitored by the company and were reported to be "In excellent shape," by the Arcadia Group CEO, Sir Philip Green.
Mr. Green went onto state: "You [The Sunday Times] are telling me that factories are happy to breach our code of conduct. I’ve got to look into it." This suggests that if the findings are conclusive, the company will be looking to improve conditions.
Topshop has also been criticized by student campaigning network People & Planet for allegedly using cotton picked in Uzbekustan by slaves http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/education.cfm?id=1905262007 and for refusing to join the Ethical Trading Initiative.