Why Did We All Stop Shopping At Topshop? Seven Shoppers Tell Us Their Reasons

A chunk of once high street favourites appears to be disappearing before our eyes, amidst news that 31 more Topshop stores are set to close, with 714 jobs cut. Earlier this month it was announced that Topshop's flagship Oxford Circus store was already facing closure.

Which Topshop stores are closing?

It is unclear at this stage which other Topshop stores are closing - although the number is said to include all 21 of Arcadia's Outfit stores - out-of-town destinations where shoppers could buy clothes from all of Arcadia's retailers.

Not all hope is lost, going into administration means that Arcadia will be protected from creditors who may be threatening to begin legal action to recover outstanding debts. Often, parts of all of the business are sold off in these situations but specialist insolvency practitioners are appointed to look at ways to repay debts and keep the business – or at least parts of it – going if possible. It’s a long process, taking up to a year, and comes after months of hardship for Arcadia following coronavirus.

But the truth is, as experts have confirmed, brands like Topshop were floundering long before coronavirus. In fact, judging by our research, it almost seems as though an entire generation collectively decided to stop shopping there. But why? Where did it all go wrong for Topshop, a store that defined trends for so many of us growing up?

1. The fast fashion competition heated up

‘Topshop was like accessible luxury for me as a teenager, I couldn’t afford much from there but what I did have I loved,’ says Lily, 25 from Liverpool. ‘I think when we [millennials] were teens, the more expensive your clothes were the cooler you were. It’s not really like that anymore, brands like Pretty Little Thing and Boohoo have managed to dirt cheap fashion cool. I switched to those brands when I was in university and never really went back to Topshop or Miss Selfridge because I could get clothes I liked for half the price, so why would I?'

2. We became more aware of sustainable fashion

‘It’s not like there was an ethical reason to shop there,’ Lily continues. ‘Nowadays, I would avoid fast fashion because I understand the impact cheap prices have on workers, but Topshop was more expensive and just as unethical as the other fast fashion brands. If they’d have gone sustainable I think that would’ve encouraged me to go back, but without reinventing the brand there was no justification for the prices they charged.’

3. They were almost TOO on-trend

‘I have to drive 15 minutes to the town next door to go shopping and our options are limited,’ says Emma, 27 from St. Albans. ‘There’s Topshop, H&M, River Island (now gone) and New Look. Out of the four, Topshop was always the winner for me as a teen. I loved their jeans, jackets, pumps and even pyjamas but somewhere between school and finishing University, I fell out of love with the high street shop. Maybe it’s because you could always guarantee that someone else would have those Joni jeans or be out in that sequin dress – but I’m also convinced that the prices flew up over the years, as what I used to consider a reasonable price for a pair of jeans quickly became out of budget. Which is why I started shopping elsewhere in Zara and on ASOS and if I’m completely honest, I haven’t really looked back at Topshop since…apart from their Editor jeans – which are really great.’

4. The shopping experience was too stressful

‘The most I ever managed to buy from Topshop was a Skinny Dip phone case,’ says Jane*, 29 from London. ‘The Topshop store in Oxford Street was an airless vortex with a mess of sales racks on one side of the bottom floor, and hundred-pound celeb boutique dresses on the other. If you made it past the sea of husbands, children and boyfriends lounging in despair on the ground floor couch without tripping over their outstretched legs - bonus points for not stopping for a cupcake from Lola's to revive you - you'd make it to the first floor which had an extensive jeans section with no one to help you pick out a pair, and one rack of discounted Ivy Park merch.

‘The most annoying thing was that you could never find the items on the mannequins on the shop floor. And what was with the website? Two pictures of each garment maximum - usually just on white background rather than on a model - and unlike ASOS or any other online counterparts, there were no catwalk videos to show how the pieces actually look on a real person.’

5. They didn’t innovate enough

‘I remember coming to London and was so excited to shop in the four storey shop on Oxford Street,’ says Ben, 30 from Peterborough. ‘ It was the spirit of London shopping for me. But then they started doing a lot of sales, and I guess it devalued the brand and looked a little embarrassing. For Topman I can’t think of any cool collaborations they did like H&M. They slipped into the ways of BHS and didn’t innovate through experimentation.’

6. We aged out of them

'I used to shop at Topshop all the time, there stuff was a bit more expensive than H&M but felt like it was better quality and a bit more fashion-y without being ASOS, which felt really chaotic and like they had an overwhelming amount of choice,' says Rebecca, 34 from London. 'But as I entered my 30s I found myself shopping there less and less. The clothes got pricier, which I didn’t necessarily mind in itself, but the quality seemed to go down and they seemed to get "younger’"just as I was getting older. I buy pretty much all my clothes from & Other Stories and Arket now, and it feels like I’m wearing grown up clothes that are actually aimed at me.'

7. It started to feel outdated

'I know this is bad because fast fashion has a terrible impact on the world, but other brands just started to make Topshop seem slow off the mark for me,' says Justine*, 31 from Manchester. 'I feel like other brands don't just stick to the ethos of 'new season, new wardrobe', they bring out new collections as soon as a trend starts to pick up speed on Instagram. Going into Topshop now, you see the same stuff you saw there a month ago. They just didn't keep up with the times'

Your Topshop questions answered:

When does Topshop close? Is Topshop closing down in the UK?

In case you're wondering if Topshop is still trading, the answer is yes - for now. Administrators Deloitte are currently looking for buyers for all the Arcadia brands, including Topshop.

Topshop's customer service info

Topshop customer service email

If you've got a customer service query for Topshop, you can email them directly from the website here.

Topshop customer service phone number

You can call the Topshop customer service team on 0344 984 0264.

Are Topshop still delivering?

Yes, for now. While topshop is still trading, orders from the website will be being delivered as normal. If you want more information on how to track your online Topshop order, you can check out the website here.

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