Topshop (originally Top Shop) is a British multinational fashion retailer of

clothing, shoes, make-up and accessories. It has around 500 shops worldwide
of which some 300 are in the UK plus online operations in a number of its
markets. Its current CEO is Katie Foster; and is part of the Arcadia Group, which
is controlled by Sir Philip Green.
History
Topshop started as a brand extension of the department store Peter Robinson in
the 1960s and originally sold fashion by young British designers, such as Mary
Quant and Stirling Cooper. Peter Robinson was a women's fashion chain that had
been acquired by Burtonin 1946. Topshop was founded in 1964 as Peter
Robinson's Top Shop, a youth brand within the Sheffield branch and also had a
large department in the Oxford Street store. This was high fashion for the "young
and different generation" as The Times put it in 1965, and the department
stocked garments by names such as Mary Quant and Gerald McCann. By 1966, it
had a branch in the Peter Robinson store in Norwich.
Peter Robinson's Top Shop buyer Diane Wadey had an eye for young talent and
introduced Royal College of Art graduate Jane Whiteside to Jeff Cooper and
Ronnie Stirling the Stirling Cooper brand they created soon had its own sections
in Top Shop stores in London and Sheffield, as well as being stocked in Peter
Robinson stores in Norwich and Bristol. Other brands stocked at Top Shop
included Jeff Banks, French Connection and Radley Cooper
Launch of separate chain store
In 1973, parent company Burton Group launched a major expansion of its
womenswear division, splitting Top Shop by Peter Robinson into two chains to be
known as Peter Robinson and Top Shop. It was announced that while Peter
Robinson would target the over 25s market, Top Shop would focus on the age
range from 13 to 24, with Ralph Halpern directing the new venture.

By 1974,

Peter Robinson had been reduced from 22 stores to six, while Top Shop was
developing independently (still retaining the one co-branded store in Oxford
Street) and was described as "highly profitable". Its key retail rivals included Miss
Selfridge and the Way In boutique arm of Harrods. Within two years, Top Shop
had 55 standalone branches, with more to come according to an article in The
Times. Fashion editor Prudence Glynn described it as having a: "sharp definition
of purpose". It made profits of 1m that year. By 1978, Top Shop accounted for a
third of Burton's operating profits.
Also in 1978, Burton embarked on a drive to win a larger share of the men's
fashion market in the midst of declining sales of men's tailoring, launching the
Top Man brand along similar lines to its women's retail arm. It was described by

an executive as: "more of a 'brother to Top Shop than a son of Burton'. The
following year, Burton announced sales and profits up by 30 per cent in
womenswear, with Top Man also being cited as highly profitable. By the start of
the 1980s, the brand was being referred to as Topshop.
Designer collections
Topshop has been among the UK chain stores to work with high-fashion brands
on capsule collections. In 1994, it launched a collection with Red or Dead. It
continued

to

work

with

designer

talent,

such

as

former Clements

Ribeiro assistant Markus Lupfer described in 1999 as "so hot he's practically
steaming"

also

working

with,

among

others, Hussein

Chalayan, Tristan

Webber and Tracey Boyd. Typically, such ranges sold out quickly, and attracted
column inches in the fashion press.
In May 2007, British supermodel Kate Moss, designed her first collection for the
brand. The appointment of Moss was announced just before the departure of
Shepherdson forWhistles. In the same year, artist Stella Vine designed a limited
edition range inspired by her artworks. These included T-shirts, vest tops, and Tshirt dresses, with the labels designed in pink glitter. The Guardian commented
that "the fact that the range of T-shirts she has recently designed for TopShop
emblazoned with slogans like Breaking Up With Her Boyfriend are flying out,
speaks volumes for her public support."
In 2014, Beyonc signed a deal to launch an activewear brand with Topshop. The
50-50 venture is called Parkwood Topshop Athletic Ltd and is scheduled to launch
its first dance, fitness and sports ranges in autumn 2015.
Current operation and franchises
Topshop has around 510 shops including those that are franchised; over 300
stores are located in the UK. It operates across 37 countries and via online
operations in a number of markets.
In December 2012, Philip Green sold a 25 per cent stake in Topshop and Topman
to the US-based private equity group Leonard Green and Partners for US$805
million. Under the terms of the deal, Arcadia retained Topshop's flagship Oxford
Street store (said to be worth between 400 and 500 million).Green said that
the deal would enable Topshop to speed up its expansion, particularly within the
US.
Topshop began planning its expansion to the US in the mid 2000s and was tipped
to open in New York as early as 2007. Currently it operates via a website and

sells in Nordstrom stores. A small number of wholly owned stores are located in
major cities, with more store openings planned. On 5 November 2014 it opened a
flagship store in New York City, located on Fifth Avenue. The store is the largest
international site, and second only to the Oxford Street, London store in square
footage. This is its second store in New York City, the first having opened on
Broadway in 2009.
Topshop announced a five-year international expansion plan in early 2011,
planning to open new shops across Asia, Australia and the US as well as seeking
opportunities in Europe. Although the Japanese flagship stores launched in 2006,
all of the 5 stores in Japan have shuttered its stores in 2015. In 2013, parent
group Arcadia began stepping up its franchise deals, announcing a planned 150
new store openings with partners in Canada, Australia and Vietnam, to include
Topshop and Topman stores.
Topshop expanded into Australia in 2011, with stores in New South Wales and
Victoria. In 2013 it opened a store in Brisbane's CBD in a location previously
occupied by Borders. In November 2012, Topshop launched its first store in South
Africa. In April 2013 a Topshop-Topman store launched in Cape Town, at the V&A
Waterfront. On 24 October 2013, Topshop opened a concession at Galeries
Lafayette in Paris, its first outlet in France.
In 2014, Topshop opened a flagship store in Auckland and a nationwide chain of
shops. The company has had a presence in New Zealand since 2010, opening a
small concession within a department store in 2010. Located on Auckland's North
Shore, the flagship shop sold out of some of its ranges before it had opened
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topshop

Aims, Strategies & Tactics

Aims are long-term goals that are less specific and unquantifiable, used as a
general guide for the business and the direction it should be heading. These
vague long-term goals are usually set by those of a higher position in a
business.
Strategies and tactics are different from aims, because their purpose is to get the
business to reach the goals set (which are sometimes the aims of the business).
Although strategies and tactics both serve to help the business, they are made to
function in different parts of the business, making them dissimilar.
Strategies are plans or schemes made to achieve the long-term aims of a
business, usually thought up or conducted by those in the more important
positions, for example, those at managerial positions. These plans are targeted
to the larger goals that take longer time and more steps to achieve, for example:
to enhance the business' image and reputation. This requires time, better service
and marketing, which will, if done right, improve the image of the business.
Tactics on the other hand are plans or schemes tailored to achieve the short-term
goals of a business. Tactics are usually conducted and targeted to affect a
specific part of a business or department, and usually tackle more specific and
straight-forward goals, for example: to raise sales by $15,000 within the next
year.

http://the-topshop-investigation.blogspot.co.id/p/businessobjectives.html
Topshop is a British retailer that specializes in fashion and accessories. The chain
has around 440 stores located in 37 countries. The mission statement is the
following, "Topshop is all about refusing to be pigeonholed. Each customer is an
individual and relies on the brand to deliver everything from basics to cuttingedge trends. Its the brand spectrum of ever-changing collections that keep
Topshop ahead of the style game."
TopShop Company Culture
In the topsy-turvy world of British fashion, Topshop has found a niche. A retailer
of trendy, moderately-priced apparel, Topshop operates 300-plus Topshop stores
for women, including the four-story, 100,000-sq.-ft. flagship store at Oxford
Circus in London, and about 165 Topman outlets for men. The company also has
a website from which it draws tens of thousands of anxious shoppers (often
referred to as "Topshop Girls") each day. Known for its ability to keep pace with
current trends, the company employs a series of "style advisors" to upsell its
products inside the stores, as well as to add an additional status appeal to its
customers. Topshop is owned by apparel retail group Arcadia.

Empowering the Consumer:

Topshop placing much more power, choice and customisation in the hands
of the consumer.
Data-focused
Digital and social engagement metrics strategically helping TopShop to
build consumer insights.
Experience-centric
Shifted from selling products to selling experiences
Joined-Up
Marketing data used to inform product planning
Innovative
Experimenting with different ways to use data and platforms to create
sharable user experiences.
http://www.chapelhigh.org.uk/internet_assets/documents/business_studies
/Year%2010%20Company%20Report%20Topshop.pdf
Cultural Group based on Hofstede Research

At 35 Britain sits in the lower rankings of PDI i.e. a society that believes
that inequalities amongst people should be minimized. A sense of fair play drives
a belief that people should be treated in some way as equals. At a score of 89

the UK is amongst the highest of the Individualist scores, The British are a highly
Individualist and private people. Children are taught from an early age to think
for themselves and to find out what their unique purpose in life is and how they
uniquely can contribute to society. The route to happiness is through personal
fulfillment.
At 66, Britain is a Masculine society highly success oriented and driven. A
high score (Masculine) on this dimension indicates that the society will be driven
by competition, achievement and success, with success being defined by the
winner/best in field a value system that starts in school and continues
throughout organisational life. people in the UK live in order to work and have a
clear performance ambition. At 35 the UK has a low score on Uncertainty
Avoidance which means that as a nation they are quite happy to wake up not
knowing what the day brings and they are happy to make it up as they go along
changing plans as new information comes to light. There are generally not too
many rules in British society, but those that are there are adhered to (the most
famous of which of of course the British love of queuing which has also to do with
the values of fair play).
With an intermediate score of 51 in this dimension, This dimension
describes how every society has to maintain some links with its own past
while dealing with the challenges of the present and future, and societies
prioritise these two existential goals differently. A high score of 69 indicates that
the British culture is one that is classified as Indulgent. People in societies
classified by a high score in Indulgence generally exhibit a willingness to realise
their impulses and desires with regard to enjoying life and having fun. They
possess a positive attitude and have a tendency towards optimism.
http://geert-hofstede.com/united-kingdom.html
Cultural Group based on Trompenaars Research
Relationship
Individualism (I)
Communitarianism
(C)
Specific Relationship
(S)
Diffuse Relationship
(D)
Universalism (U)

United
Kingdom

S
U

Particularism (P)
Neutral Relationship
(N)
Emotional
Relationship (E)
Achievement (Ach)
Ascription (As)

N
Ach

For Trompenaars, Individualism refers to people regarding themselves as

individuals, while communitarianism refers to people regarding themselves as
part of a group, similar to the political groupings. In this category, United
Kingdom is considered as Individualism (I).

According to Trompenaars, The United Kingdom is a specific cultures (S). In

specific cultures, people often are invited into a persons open, public space;
individuals in these cultures often are open and extroverted; and there is a
strong separation of work and private life, in order to achieve healthy working
environment. In his early research, Trompenaars also found that in the United
Kingdom, there was high universalism (U). when it comes to business
negotiation, they apply the rules make sure that everything goes according to
the rules .
In cultures with high universalism, the focus is more on formal rules than
on relationships, business contracts are adhered to very closely, and people
believe that a deal is a deal. According to Trompenaars, United Kingdom are
high-neutral cultures (N). People in these countries try not to show their feelings;
they act stoically and maintain their composure. Achievement cultures give high

status to high achievers, such as the companys number-one salesperson or the

medical researcher who has found a cure for a rare form of bone cancer. United
Kingdom is considered has Achievement culture (Ach).
http://www.ukessays.com/essays/business/cross-cultural-comparative-analysisuk-vs-mexico.php

Cultural Group Based on Globe

United Kingdom
Assertiveness
Institutional
Collectivism
In-Group
Collectivism
Future Orientation
Gender
Egalitarianism
Humane Orientation
Performance
Orientation
Power Distance
Uncertainty
Avoidance

Practic
es
4,23

Values
3,76

4,31

4,39

4,08
4,31

5,66
5,15

3,67
3,74

5,2
5,52

4,16
5,26

6,03
2,82

4,7

4,17

Cultural Tower

Based on Trompenaars, United Kingdom is considered as Guided Missile

Culture. Guided missile culture is characterized by strong emphasis on equality

in the workplace and orientation to the task. This organizational culture is
oriented to work, which typicallyis undertaken by teams or project groups. in a
guided missile project, formal hierarchical considerations are given low priority,
and individual expertise is of greatest importance. Additionally, all team
members are equal (or at least potentially equal), because their relative
contributions to the project are not yet known. All teams treat each other with
respect, because they may need the other for assistance. change in guided
missile culture comes quickly. Goals are accomplished, and teams are

reconfigured and assigned new objectives. People move from group to group,
and loyalties to ones profession and project often are greater than loyalties to
the organization itself.
Trompenaars found that the motivation of those in guided missile cultures
tends to be more intrinsic than just concern for money and benefits.
Trompenaars notes: This culture tends to be individualistic since it allows for a
wide variety of differently specialized persons to work with each other on a
temporary basis. They do not need to know each other intimately, and may avoid
doing so. Management by objectives is the language spoken, and people are paid
for performance.
https://books.google.co.id/books?
id=3_JrBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA129&lpg=PA129&dq=belgium+globe+country+score&
source=bl&ots=TC7W8ZRyRN&sig=MvL5MWyuMMntdLBQYgR2uO6oaCs&hl=en&
sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjs5c_C0aDJAhVCGqYKHexhBsAQ6AEIOjAF#v=onepage&q=b
elgium%20globe%20country%20score&f=false