Star-Studded Opening Lifts Expectations For Expansion#
A personal shopper from London on hand at the opening event. (Lisa Ying Dai)
After months of anticipation, Hong Kong's first Topshop location opened in the city's central business district on Thursday to much fanfare, thanks to some savvy viral marketing in the days leading up to the event. Despite the rainy weather, eager Topshop fans in Hong Kong started queuing in front of the new store on Queen's Road from 9:00 a.m. until the start of the party in the early evening.
The line outside the new Hong Kong Topshop store's opening event. (Instagram/Topshop Hong Kong)
The British fast fashion giant partnered with Hong Kong-based Lane Crawford Joyce Group's retail subsidiary, LAB Concept, bringing the first stand-alone Topshop store in the Greater China region to Hong Kong's prime financial district, which is also well known for housing top international fashion brands. The store will be managed by LAB Concept, while Topshop will be in charge of the shop design and styling.
The Hong Kong store's corner site covers an area of more than 12,000 square feet over two floors, complete with neon signs and a DJ counter on the second floor. The shop hosts all of the brand's key signature departments, including a "shoe salon," lingerie department, accessories and make-up department, and personal shopping suites.
Topshop brand ambassador Kim Hyo Yeon at the opening event. (Instagram/Topshop Hong Kong)
Jing Daily had the chance to interview Topshop Managing Director Mary Homer on opening day, where she discussed the label's plans to open in mainland China. According to her, Chinese shoppers are becoming more sophisticated and hungry for international brands like Topshop to enter the Chinese fashion sphere. She believes that the Chinese market is ready for Topshop, but noted that real estate is a major issue, as the process of finding the best locations in Beijing and Shanghai to open stores can be quite time-consuming. Nonetheless, she said that Topshop is working hard with its China team on finding the best possible mainland locations, meaning that the wait for a first-tier flagship opening may be shorter than we think.
The star-studded grand opening began at 5:00 p.m., with model-turned-actress and TV host Mandy Lieu serving as the MC of the ceremony. Two of the brand's "Asian Ambassadors," Taiwanese actress Gwei Lun-mei, rocking her new blonde hairdo, and K-Pop star of Girl's Generation fame Kim Hyo Yeon also flew to Hong Kong for the event.
Taiwanese actress Gwei Lun-mei at the opening. (Instagram/Topshop Hong Kong)
A week prior to the opening, Topshop undertook a viral campaign to promote the event by sending out a "Fashion Truck" to hand out goodie bags, gift cards, and the first issue of the brand's magazine. The campaign engaged enthusiastic Topshop lovers in Hong Kong by encouraging them to write welcome greetings on the truck's huge message board full of colorful heart-shaped notes.
In addition to the Fashion Truck goodies, the first 100 customers in line for the opening received a Topshop umbrella, and the first 200 shoppers to enter the store at 5:00 p.m. received a gift bag with mystery gifts and gift cards. Everyone will also receive a special tote bag upon purchasing anything from the store over the opening weekend, and the location features Catlove-branded shopping bags and Hong Kong-exclusive Topshop Hong Kong t-shirts.
The fashion label cleverly branded its campaign with the slogan "Girls LOVE Topshop," which it displayed prominently in the windows above the long lines of eager Hong Kong fashionistas excited for their fast fashion fix.
A store display with a DJ turntable set up for the event. (Lisa Ying Dai)
The store's comparatively upscale "Boutique" line. (Lisa Ying Dai)
Topshop Hong Kong's shoe salon. (Lisa Ying Dai)
A floral jacket and other pieces on sale. (Lisa Ying Dai)