Topshop: The countdown is on

The new Topshop store on the corner of Victoria and Queen Sts. Photo / Jason Dorday

The countdown is on for the opening of clothing retailer Topshop Topman this week, with more than 35,000 garments being sorted for the debut of the Queen St store.

Top Retail chief executive Jamie Whiting said meeting the deadline would be "down to the wire".

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A fitout team had worked around the clock for a couple of months preparing for Thursday's opening in Auckland.

The British brand was introduced to the country in 2010, with a selection sold through The Department Store in Takapuna.

Whiting said the brand's popularity meant it was the right time to bring the retailer to New Zealand.

The two-storey store on the corner of Queen St and Victoria St will sell the full range.

"The stock allocations are left to the last minute possible to ensure that the store opens with latest styles available," Whiting said. "We have a small army of people currently getting it ready for opening day."

He said pricing would be similar to that in Britain. Topshop openings have traditionally gained a lot of attention - shoppers spent hours queuing outside the brand's Manhattan store when it opened in 2009.

"[We're expecting] a lot [of people]. I can't put a figure on it, but the chatter we're hearing is amazing. We have some exciting activities going on in the lead-up. There's a lot of buzz out there and we're expecting an amazing launch."

Topshop has 499 stores, 164 of them outside Britain. The flagship store in Oxford Circus, London, attracts more than half a million shoppers weekly.

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