Topshop’s growth in the southern hemisphere has not been smooth sailing, with its launch into the New Zealand market thwarted by international travel restrictions.
AUCKLAND: Topshop’s assault on the Australasian market has been thwarted by international flight restrictions.
Auckland-based mixed-label boutique The Department Store was scheduled to open an in-store Topshop operation earlier this month, but the Icelandic volcano eruption meant its air freight deliveries from the UK were delayed.
The Department Store co-owner Karen Walker said in place of a full launch, the store held a preview weekend to sell its first delivery of Topshop stock. At the time of press, it was scheduled to be completely functional by mid-May, when back-logged deliveries were expected to arrive.
“We could have held out [opening properly] for two weeks until our freight caught up, but there was such a huge demand for the brand to be available,” Walker said.
She said the store’s buying strategy for the brand will be “wide and shallow”, with weekly deliveries of up to 30 new styles in line with northern hemisphere seasons. It will begin with women’s stock, with a view to including men’s product next year.
“We get delivery three days after it hits the stores in London and retail for the same amount it costs to buy them online,” she said.
The Sydney-based Incu Presents Topshop venture was not dramatically affected by the air travel issues, according to co-owner Vincent Wu.
“We were delayed in one shipment but we were lucky, we got a delivery just before that [the shutdown],” he said.
Wu said the company had worked through various challenges in the six months since launching the Topshop division. Managing frequent stock deliveries and ensuring stock levels are correct has been a primary focus.
“We are getting deliveries every fortnight,” he said. “As an independent multi-brand store we are not really used to those kind of deliveries – we are used to one or two deliveries a season from a brand.
“It is a customer that wants new product all the time, so we have just been spending a lot of time in meetings to make sure that we meet those demands.”
Another challenge has been buying according to northern hemisphere seasons, with some stock such as trench coats proving hard to shift in warm weather.
“It is all about giving them [Topshop] feedback – saying these are working, these are not working – so we’ve been able to overcome it,” he said.
Wu said foot traffic has been a mix of customers seeking out Topshop and others visiting Incu, who then take a look at the high street label. No formal advertising has been undertaken, but Twitter and email communication have been stepped up to alert customers to new products.
Expansion plans into Melbourne or other cities are not officially on the cards, but Wu said if an ideal retail space arises, he will consider it.
Topshop is owned by UK company Arcadia Group, which operates over 300 Topshop stores in the UK and over 100 internationally, as well as wholesale and e-commerce operations.
Melinda Oliver