Topshop and Arcadia

[openbook1]

So now that Topshop has been bought by ASOS, they no longer have their own website. All of the physical stores will also be closing. I find this really sad, it feels like a part of the high street has died. Topshop was such a big deal when I was a teenager - I remember moving away for uni (2010) and just being obsessed with it. I also loved their makeup range - anyone else remember it?! Their nail polishes were so good too.
Such a shame to think that whenever I next visit London (not living in the UK anymore), the store on Oxford Street will be gone. https://www.businessinsider.com/aso...deal-arcadia-group-philip-green-topman-2021-2

 

[Belulah]

Topshop was always achingly cool when I was a teenager. They used to be everywhere- we even had one in Great Yarmouth but my favourite one was in Sheffield where you had to get the escalator to it. Happiness was finishing Uni and popping into Toppers and getting an outfit for that night and stopping at Sainsbury’s on the way home for whatever booze was on sale!

 

[Affiliatedlink]

I agree. This is the demise of the high street, all those empty Arcadia shops. I don’t mind online shopping but I love a wander in the shops, meet a friend, try stuff on etc. The whole social side of it not to mention the enormous loss of jobs. Those that enjoy the online shop forget about the impact of jobs from retail to supply chain. I did think Topshop was getting a bit pricy for the quality of clothing, when I was young it was a fairly cheap store only a bit up from the likes of Primark quality.
Im terrible though as I refuse to buy from Amazon, I hate everything about it, I would rather source my stuff from anywhere but. But now Asos is becoming the same!

 

[JLXRD]

Yes, Topshop really went up in price over the last decade. I love Primark, it is one of my favourite stores to go to when I visit the UK. I hope it doesn't close. I always wish they had an online store... they have some stores in New York, wish they would open in Canada.

Even in 2020, Primark still made over 350 million operating profit, I feel like they are going nowhere! People in the UK still will go the high street just for Primark tbh. It’s always packed!

I did like Topshop when I was a teenager, but for the quality it has become really overpriced and just not worth it. I also found the styling on their website really off putting, it made the items look unwearable (then again I would say the same for Zara’s website!)

I am not surprised it is gone but I will be sad to see the empty shops, especially the Oxford street one.

 

[Kezza_69]

I always loved Topshop jeans . .
Leigh . . Joni . . Jamie . .

 

[Gym&Tonic]

I bought a top from Topshop when I was 15 in 1997 and it lasted for years. I can’t imagine anything lasting that long now. Their jeans were always really good quality, I still have the last pair I bought from there around three years ago. The similar priced ones I got from River Island only lasted a few months! I think they just lost their way and didn‘t embrace online shopping fast enough.
I don’t know if I’m just getting old but I really dislike BooHoo etc. I find their stuff a bit trashy and very much designed for the gaze of men than the the comfort and style of women, or maybe that’s just me?

 

[Belulah]

Seeing Instagram influencers model clothes has the complete opposite to the desired effect on me. I would never buy anything worn by an influencer because I don’t agree with their morals.

 

[Saddlesoap]

I think it's a real shame for the high street.
I never really loved it, but got plenty of clothes there when I was younger. I do think it was too expensive for the quality though. For those prices I want to item to last longer than a season.

Others here must remember 'Tammy Girl'?!

 

[Tublet83]

I worked for Topshop as a teen (I used to look after the Denise Van Outen range ).

Really sad, but they just fell behind. Cannot stand Philip Green either, feel really sorry for the staff most of all

 

[Gym&Tonic]

Me neither, Boohoo, Oh Polly, Pretty little thing all look identical. Looks like the kind of stuff they have in low rent shopping centre clothes shops like Salford Precinct or on market stalls.

BooBoo, Misguided, Isawitfirst, Pretty Little Thing etc. Like you say, all the same. Topshop always had its own distinctive style, as did River Island and New Look etc. Now it seems they all want to look like something from Love Island.

 

[Trolleydollycoffeelover]

I bought a top from Topshop when I was 15 in 1997 and it lasted for years. I can’t imagine anything lasting that long now. Their jeans were always really good quality, I still have the last pair I bought from there around three years ago. The similar priced ones I got from River Island only lasted a few months! I think they just lost their way and didn‘t embrace online shopping fast enough.
I don’t know if I’m just getting old but I really dislike BooHoo etc. I find their stuff a bit trashy and very much designed for the gaze of men than the the comfort and style of women, or maybe that’s just me?

Me neither, Boohoo, Oh Polly, Pretty little thing all look identical. Looks like the kind of stuff they have in low rent shopping centre clothes shops like Salford Precinct or on market stalls.

 

[Readread]

I like Topshop but Philip Green ran it into the ground. If he wasn't such a selfish twat he could've saved it.

 

[Rbarb-bkini]

I used to like Topshop when I was a skinny teenager and could find decent stuff in their sales but as soon as I put on weight I got frustrated that they don't really do anything above a 14. I just stopped shopping there.
A few years back a girl took a photo of one of the super skinny mannequins in my local Topshop and it went viral.
I will agree though that their make-up range was quite good.
It really is a shame what's happening to the high street, especially with the boom of online shopping. Makes me wonder what high streets will look like in 10-20 years time? I hope they would get redeveloped in some way.

 

[chandlercheesecake]

I loved Topshop when I was a teenager, but it was always too expensive for me. I remember when I was 14, I had about £15, so I bought 2 vests in pink and red to wear on holiday. I used the carrier bag as my PE bag for school.

The only thing I've bought from there in recent years are earrings.

 

[Nolongerjustalurker]

The High Streets are going to be empty soon: Debenhams, Warehouse, Oasis and now Topshop all gone. I used to buy a lot of my clothes in Oasis and Warehouse, but unfortunately they've now been acquired by Boohoo and from what I've seen the quality is just not the same. I bought a dress from Warehouse about a month ago and the quality was terrible. It was a cord dress, but the material was really thin and cheap (price was not cheap, though!) Also, I've been wearing Warehouse stuff for years and always buy the same size, but this dress was so tiny I could barely get it on! I sent it back, but if I had decided to keep it, I would definitely have had to size up.

I used to shop loads in Topshop years back, but lately the quality hasn't been great, while the prices keep rising. Asos will be stocking the full range, though, so I guess it will still be easy enough to get Topshop stuff for those who want to.

I’m so sad about Warehouse and Oasis! They were pricey but the quality was better than other brands. I did one Oasis order since Boohoo acquired them and omg the stuff was shocking, one dress was crumpled up in a ball and stank of stale cigs, obviously been worn

 

[idk2]

I'm not surprised it's gone tbh. It wasn't really following the trend fashion was going, if I'm honest. It sort of fell behind in trends. Every year it seemed they had the same stuff back in, sort of like H&M but at least the latter is cheap enough that you're constantly going back for essentials. Plus you find some real gems in H&M sometimes. I can't remember the last time I bought something I really loved from Topshop.

Zara has become a massive player on the high street now and even though their website is horrid, the style of clothes and the overall aesthetic is always changing. There's something for literally everyone in Zara, even babies! Whereas Topshop has been full of whites, beiges and neutral jumpers for years - all that stuff is boring and somewhere people went if they needed something to wear to work regularly. I will miss Topshop jeans, I think they are the real loss here! It also didn't help that Arcadia seemed to only be increasing prices constantly like I am not paying £40 for a cream jumper when I can go to H&M and get it for half the price. Although glad to see the downfall of "Sir" Phillip Green.

However I still have several gift cards for Topshop from Xmas two years ago I haven't used, I wonder if I can use them in ASOS now

 

[ChloChlo]

Boohoo brand is all the same, they own Nasty Gal, Missguided, Prettylittlething and many more etc that’s why it all looks the same cheap tat because it is! It’s really crap clothing usually shown on awful so called ‘models’ or influencers.
It’s such a shame that we are heading this way to such fast fashion, it’s always getting criticised but people still buy it. As soon as the shops re open the queues will be a mile long outside Primark..why?
Call me old fashioned but I still like to see clothing modelled on attractive fashion models not some over made up, overweight influencer because it’s the thing to do. You like to imagine you will look as good as the model, I also know from experience that items advertised and shown on everyday people do not sell as well as a beautiful model.

I have noticed what passes as a model these days have heavily declined. I remember models were hired for distinct, often unusual and always natural beauty and I miss that too. Now it seems like everyone modelling clothes have that uniform lip job and have badly done orange drag make up on. Taking real women too far by actually recreating personal bedroom selfies in some of their nightwear and lingerie poses in particular. Very trashy.

 

[openbook1]

I agree. This is the demise of the high street, all those empty Arcadia shops. I don’t mind online shopping but I love a wander in the shops, meet a friend, try stuff on etc. The whole social side of it not to mention the enormous loss of jobs. Those that enjoy the online shop forget about the impact of jobs from retail to supply chain. I did think Topshop was getting a bit pricy for the quality of clothing, when I was young it was a fairly cheap store only a bit up from the likes of Primark quality.
Im terrible though as I refuse to buy from Amazon, I hate everything about it, I would rather source my stuff from anywhere but. But now Asos is becoming the same!

Yes, Topshop really went up in price over the last decade. I love Primark, it is one of my favourite stores to go to when I visit the UK. I hope it doesn't close. I always wish they had an online store... they have some stores in New York, wish they would open in Canada.

 

[jazyblu]

I used to love topshop but it has been shit for a long time. Their stuff started getting pretty expensive for highstreet, £49 little short dresses that were the same quality as new look.

The only thing I do love is the fit of Topshop though, they always had nice petite trousers and jeans. Hopefully ASOS keep the Topshop petite supplier for the Topshop brand on their website. ASOS own petite is rubbish.

And their petite jeans are a great fit, but again annoying. I don't want to spend over £40 on black jeans that fade in a few months. I ended up only every buying things in their sale or a site wide 20% off as it just wasn't worth full price as it didn't last.

 

[mochibean]

Like many of you I used to love Topshop but lately it's not the same. I prefer the bigger stores that carry other brands inside them rather than the actual Topshop clothes these days.

BooBoo, Misguided, Isawitfirst, Pretty Little Thing etc. Like you say, all the same. Topshop always had its own distinctive style, as did River Island and New Look etc. Now it seems they all want to look like something from Love Island.

They are all the same crap and the quality is atrocious 90% of the time! Everything I ever bought from those shops has fallen apart pretty quick or was never wearable to begin with.

I still love River Island, still good quality clothes and they still have quite an identity imo.