Leading retail group Arcadia has this week unveiled a new 25,000 sq ft megastore for its Topshop & Topman divisions at the Lakeside shopping centre in Thurrock.
Previously operating from two separate sites in the mall, the two retailers have been brought together into one unit near Zara on the site‘s upper level, with the new outlet designed to meet the group‘s most recent store-fit specifications.
The new store is now one of the retailer‘s flagship shops in the UK and will feature the newly launched Grooming Collection from Topman, and stylists offering a fast track to the fitting rooms and styling advice at Topshop.
Chris Harris, Group Property Director at Arcadia, said: “We are delighted to unveil a new flagship store for Topshop and Topman at Lakeside on November 17th, which is now one of our ten biggest stores in the UK and features exciting new design elements, taking inspiration from the flagship recently opened at Westfield in Stratford.
“Both brands will be offering great consumer competitions and experiences over the opening weekend.”
Arcadia also recently unveiled a new flagship for its sister brand Bhs with an all new store-fit at the Essex shopping centre which opened in September of this year.
Lakeside has invested £8 million in an asset management scheme which, along with the new Topshop/Topman relocation, has seen the construction of a new roofbox in anticipation of a three-level 35,000 sq ft flagship store from US fashion giant Forever 21, which will open late next year.
With the construction pipeline for large retail assets in the UK looking decidedly quiet for the next couple of years, demand for space at the nation‘s leading shopping centres is high, meaning real estate firms like Lakeside owner Capital Shopping Centres (CSC) are having to expand their malls to accommodate retailers‘ ambitions.
Jonathan Ainsley, Asset Management Director for the South at CSC, said: “We have seen a number of retailers upsizing in Lakeside this year but the Arcadia expansion is the largest yet and allows us to showcase the latest shopfits and products for the three largest Arcadia brands – Topshop, Topman and Bhs – to our fashion conscious Lakeside shoppers.
“With its 21st birthday this year there has already been much excitement within the centre but such upsizings help to create even more buzz and show that Lakeside is still as relevant to our customers as ever.”
