Topshop takes first step into China with new Hong Kong flagship store

Topshop, the popular British high street brand, stakes its claim in Hong Kong's crowded fashion retail market with the opening today of its flagship store in Central.

The company's 14,000 square foot, two-floor shop at the corner of Queen's Road Central and Pottinger Street also marks the first step in its search for a home on the mainland, where managing director Mary Homer said expansion in major cities was planned.

"We always want to go into any market with a stand-alone flagship store," Homer told the South China Morning Post. "Shanghai and Beijing are obvious locations for us [in expanding on the mainland], but these things are dictated by finding the right property and conversations about getting a partner. Having local expertise in a new market is invaluable."

In Hong Kong, Topshop has partnered with the luxury retail group Lane Crawford to establish a competitive presence in a city where all the leading international "fast-fashion" brands can be found.

Retailers have used the term "fast fashion" to describe apparel collections based on the most recent trends, which are produced swiftly to allow more consumers to buy the designs at a lower cost.

Andrew Keith, the president of Lane Crawford, said Topshop's merchandise, from casual to formal wear, footwear to accessories and make-up collections, offered "amazing attention to quality and democratic prices, which the Hong Kong market really respond to".