Not to mourn the end of Top Shop if it happens

[nosswith]

Sympathy for staff and the loss of any jobs. However, Philip Green is a very nasty person and I will shed no tears for him. Indeed if I ever had ten minutes with Prince Albert of Monaco, I would suggest to him that banishing Mr Green from Monaco would be the best thing he could ever do.

@TheEmojiFormerlyKnownAsPrince

H of F is just like Sports Direct now!

I visited the flagship Oxford st store before lockdown and I was the only customer there! Absolute ghost town to the extent that the staff made a massive fuss over me! I left wondering if I made the only purchase of the day.

Our HoF has been rebranded as Frasers, Flannels and SD, I suspect Topshop will soon be added to it

I meant the website. I’ve never been in a shop!

Just cheap sports shit being sold next to posh designer stuff.

Just weird.

H of F is just like Sports Direct now!

So glad Debenhams hasn’t adopted the HoF style! Fingers crossed.

So glad Debenhams hasn’t adopted the HoF style! Fingers crossed.

I think Debenhams days are numbered though.

Oh no! I love the Debenhams website, have bought some lovely things over Black Friday!

Ah what I just don't know what I'll do if Dorothy Perkins goes! That's where I shop!
Nowhere else fits me like that or has as much good clothes! Really worried about this now

Doesn’t Debs have DP and Wallis franchises?

Looks like they’ll go too.

But when l look at it all from a distance, all these shops are really selling the same thing with maybe the exception of Top Shop. And that’s why Boo hop are after them.

The rest are just a sea of polyester tops and plastic trousers.

They're definitely not selling the same things. Dorothy Perkins is where I find most of my clothes that I like and that fit

I haven’t shopped (for DD) in Top Shop since the Travis Alabalanza (sp? Not a fucking clue!) debacle and know an awful lot of people in the same boat.

Very sorry for all the staff, no doubt Green will swan off without a care in the world whilst the staff suffer.

I don't know how anyone can celebrate a business going bust no matter how they dislike the CEO or whatever. All those staff with no jobs - it's tragic. This whole situation is terrible for people's livelihoods

I agree. PG shall still be an incredibly wealthy man and shall soon start up other businesses that will no doubt be successful.

But for many of our top high street brands to collapse indicates what difficult times we are facing. The flagship store on Oxford Street is iconic to the British fashion industry it’s so much more than just another branch of Top Shop.

It’s awful for all those who shall loose their jobs and for the industry as a whole

PG ego shall be bruised but he is a very clever businessman it won’t harm him unfortunately (should have been stripped of his title long ago)

15,000 people will lose their jobs. Green will lose nothing. You 'not mourning' means fuck all to those who will now face losing homes, kids with miserable a Christmas Day, no job prospects in 2021. Very magnanimous of you to say sorry for all those who lose jobs. It is as sincere as a lump of coal. Hope that helps.

@backaftera2yearbreak

I used to work for Arcadia. Must buy your own uniform with a 60% discount to show off latest collection. 25% staff discount if you wanted stuff for personal use but only given on a store card type equivalent with a high interest rate. Awful.

Same. It was 39% interest and the only way you could get your staff discount was to put the items on the card.

We were also given targets for store cards and forced to encourage vulnerable people to take them out (or we'd lose our jobs). That's the reason why I quit in the end.

@BrightYellowDaffodil great summary.

I remember how popular it was in the early 00's. Remember the Kate Moss collaboration? That was an absolute coup and probably when they were at their height. They then did a load of collaborations with high end designers, I remember the Mary Karantzou one which was absolutely stunning.

But that was 20 years ago. I haven't been in for years and years and I don't know any teenage or young women who even talk about it anymore. It's all Boohoo/PLT/Shein. Topshop, like many who have gone before it, have failed to keep up with the times. (Blockbusters anyone?)

I hope the people who will lose their jobs can find something even better and get a bloody good pay out, but I doubt it given some of the stories here.

@Zilla1

Bevelino, how many billionaires became wealthy through giving money away or losing money or 'paying back'?

What happened to BHS when it looked like it might cost more than it would earn/had excess liabilities? Was it sold for a £1?

I was bemused when the Brighton branch of Philip Green's BHS closed down and the premises were almost immediately reoccupied by Philip Green's Top Shop.

Never brought much from Topshop. Found stuff so expensive. And also odd.
But loved their Petite section..and Dorothy. My little legs appreciated their fit! Even if the sizing went a bit off... our local Outfit store closed months back so not surprised more are following.

Feel sorry for the staff. They're the ones who lose out.

A lot of posters mention they feel too old to shop in there, but I don't think they necessarily appeal to teens either, maybe 20s? I was going through the website with my 13yr old DD who is very on the ball fashion wise and she largely made exaggerated vom noises at everything I shown her, saying 'oh my god mummy no, thats so bad' For the young kids now, it's all about this social media driven 'aesthetic' look, which it seems many high street brands have missed the mark on. I think ASOS, Uniqlo, Zara are a bit more on point and upcoming American brands like Everlane.

Well it's not looking great. Good forbid it's bought by Boohoo given their modern slavery record.

@MaryLennoxsScowl

Topshop used to be my favourite shop - the clothes were cooler than equivalently priced shops such as Zara and Warehouse, with better fabrics and fit than those. That was at least ten years ago. Now they’ve cheapened the fabric and cut, and the style isn’t as modern as Zara or some of H&M but it’s still more expensive than them even though they’re now using polyester for everything. I used to spend a day wandering round all the shops and going back to Topshop as it had the nicest version of whatever I was looking for, but not now. The website is awful too - cheap and tacky and really crap photography.

Agree Mary. I used Topshop alot but recently it's just polyester and cheap fabrics. Real shame. I might see what's happening to the oxford st shop tomorrow. :(

We also have a big Outfit shop locally so that will be another large empty unit next to the also closed debenhams.

@YoungScrappyHungry

I remember how popular it was in the early 00's. Remember the Kate Moss collaboration? That was an absolute coup and probably when they were at their height. They then did a load of collaborations with high end designers, I remember the Mary Karantzou one which was absolutely stunning.

But that was 20 years ago. I haven't been in for years and years and I don't know any teenage or young women who even talk about it anymore. It's all Boohoo/PLT/Shein. Topshop, like many who have gone before it, have failed to keep up with the times. (Blockbusters anyone?)

I hope the people who will lose their jobs can find something even better and get a bloody good pay out, but I doubt it given some of the stories here.

I stood in line for the Kate Moss launch ! Took three hours but the staff were lovely and handed out bottled water and snacks to everyone in line. Topshop was the epitome of cool on the 00s and they managed to create these unique experiences related to fashion. There were also smaller events and workshops that were free to take part but felt very special as you get drinks, goodie bags etc. That's one thing online retailers won't be able to offer.

I loved the bottommost floor with indie brand concessions. Most of my favourite pieces were found down there and they did a great job of supporting up and coming designers. The Green family do not morally deserve their wealth (to answer the question posed in another thread) but they had a lot of incredible people working in the company. Perhaps they'll get bought out and be able to restart innovation under new management.