Topshop

After almost a year of envying Melbourne being the first Australian city to host the UK high street favourite, Sydney finally got a Topshop to call its own.

Housed in the iconic Gowings Building on the corner of George and Market Street, the new flagship store covers 1,800 square metres and spans four levels. Ladies are well served with three levels of Topshop, while the top floor is dedicated to the boys with Topman. There are also around 280 new staff on hand to help Sydneysiders as they shop.

While the Sydney store may not rival the mega Oxford Street flagship in London in size or scale, it still offers a solid selection of what makes the Brit retailer have crossover appeal with both high street and high-end shoppers. There’s a curated selection of Topshop’s cool collaboration with London-based designer J.W. Anderson and pieces from the Unique range; Topshop’s capsule collection Boutique and Topman LTD, their premium range for the boys; plus the Exclusive collection, a range of limited edition pieces designed especially for Sydney. There’s also a free in-house personal shopping service and a 10 per cent discount for students, alongside all their mainline clothing, accessories, shoes, denim and make-up lines.

There were more than a few keen shoppers (largely teenage girls) setting up camp last night to ensure they were among the first to get their Topshop fix this morning. So it seems fitting that Topshop rewards them – and other would-be shoppers – for their enthusiasm. Among the treats and promos on offer are $100 outfits and styling sessions for the first 20 shoppers; complimentary in-store beauty makeovers and gifts (iPad cases with purchases over $100 and a free nail polish if you check in on Facebook) over the opening weekend; and the chance to win $500 shopping sprees through different competitions on Instagram and their in-store pop-up photo booth.