Topshop Opens in Los Angeles

Topshop opened Thursday in Los Angeles' The Grove. The 30,000 square foot store is the West Coast's second location and fourth in the U.S.

Topshop owner Sir Philip Green called this location a "landmark." "It certainly looks very, very strong. The object is opening flagship stores, but you want something individual for each market. [Caruso Affiliated president and chief executive officer] Rick Caruso has given us a lot of help. Having the whole end of the street, we really created something special," he said.

For Green, his LA schedule reflected more than just fun and festivities. He worked in meetings with LGP and Nordstrom, where Topshop now has 14 in-store shops. WWD reported in December that LGP purchased a 25% stake in Topshop and Topman with the hopes of increasing the retailer's U.S. sales to $1 billion plus doubling global sales over the next three to four years.

In his talks with LGP about Topshop locations in the U.S., Green said, "They felt the potential was we could open 50 stores. I had always been thinking slightly less. We are open-minded about what the opportunities are, but we still want to be picky. We are not going to go and do crazy things. We are going to go carefully and cherry-pick locations. We will take our time."

Topshop is eyeing major cities future locations like San Francisco, Miami, Boston and Washington, D.C., but nothing is set. Topshop is also looking for a second location in New York. Asked about Topshop's spread in malls, Green said, "If you go across America, there will be 15, 20, 25 malls you want to be in, the key ones, and the others you have to be choosy about."

Currently the smallest Topshop in the U.S. is Las Vegas at 22,000 square feet. Green emphasized he is committed to keeping Topshop's footprints in the U.S. relatively large. "If we are going to build something special, and we are going to show both brands, Topshop and Topman, in the way we want in big markets, then we want to do it properly," he said. "There is no point in coming in and doing 5,000 square feet."