Topshop, the global fashion juggernaut with more than 400 stores operating in 38 countries, finally arrives on the West Coast on Thursday, opening day for its new Topshop Topman store at The Grove in Los Angeles.
To celebrate the opening, the retailer is throwing what it is calling the “Topshop Topman Takeover,” an event inspired by British street fairs, from 3 to 9 p.m. on Thursday featuring food, live music and special guests. Demi Lovato and Blood Orange are scheduled to perform, and DJ Eve Speciall will be on hand, too.
At 25,000-square-feet with nearly 40-foot ceilings, the London-based brand’s new flagship boasts the grandiose size and presence common to its other properties, with multilevels housing the various collections under the Topshop and Topman umbrella. The store takes over a former Banana Republic (which has moved several doors down to a smaller location) at the corner of 1st Street and Gilmore Lane and is one in a string of new openings and expansions at the outdoor mall.
“Topshop is one of the all-time great retailers on a global platform, and they are really planting a flag here,” says Rick Caruso, chief executive of Caruso Affiliated, the developer of The Grove. “There is something unique about Topshop in L.A. that’s different than other locations. It’s the right energy and the right customer.”
The store’s opening has been highly anticipated by Southern California shoppers who previously tapped the nearest Topshop location at the Fashion Show Mall in Las Vegas, which opened in March 2012, or used the retailer’s e-commerce website to purchase clothing, shoes and accessories.
“Twenty-five percent of our online traffic for both Topshop and Topman has come from California,” says Sir Philip Green, the chain’s owner. “I’ve felt for a long time that we should have a store [in Los Angeles], because it’s a big fashionista city, much like London. There is a lot happening in fashion and entertainment.”
The new store is at 189 The Grove Drive, Suite J-10, Los Angeles. (323) 938-1085