Latest / The Retail Podcast / Five Things Friday UK: Topshop’s Return, John Lewis vs M&S Clash & Pop-up Highlights

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Five Things Friday UK: Topshop’s Return, John Lewis vs M&S Clash & Pop-up Highlights · The Retail Podcast

• 0:00
  Hello and welcome to another fabulous 5 Things Friday UK
• 0:04
  edition. I'm Alex, the Co host, I'm
• 0:18
  sorry, the Co host for five things Friday.
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  I'm the founder of the Retail Podcast and I spend my time
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  helping retailers and people who sell to retailers retain and
• 0:27
  maintain their retail thought leadership process.
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  And I'm joined by my wonderful Co host, Simone Olloman.
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  Hi, I'm Simone, the Co founder and CEO of Need it for Tonight,
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  also known as NIFT. I always say easiest way to
• 0:44
  describe those is kind of like deliver route, but for quality
• 0:47
  fashion. So I spent a lot of my days
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  working with lots of wonderful retailers helping them to
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  implement 90 minute and same day delivery.
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  I'm just curious, one of the things I meant to ask you last
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  week in terms of the partners that you are in your ecosystem,
• 1:03
  they're physical retailers who then use whose products are on
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  needed for tonight. Correct.
• 1:10
  Yes, mainly physical we have because we work with smaller
• 1:15
  retailers as well, but they don't have a bricks and mortar
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  store. But it yeah, bricks and mortar
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  stores. It tend to do fulfilment from
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  the stores and actually trying to make it a bit more localised
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  as well, trying to encourage people to see what's in their in
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  the area and shop locally. Oh, cool.
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  Fantastic. OK, without without any further
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  ado, let's jump straight in this week.
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  Another week full of full of interesting news, but why don't
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  you start us off on this sad news?
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  Yes, this one hits personally for me, creates a lot of
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  nostalgia, but Top, she's coming back to the catwalk this summer
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  and I've got to say they have absolutely nailed the build up
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  of just their return in general. It's just the nostalgia, the
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  height, even the mystery. It's giving early 2000s energy.
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  And I dying to see what their new site is like.
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  And I'm also dying to see what they will eventually do.
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  And they do eventually turn to the High Street because let's be
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  real, that Top Shop start on Oxford Circus was iconic.
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  It had everything. It had photo booths, it had you
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  could go get your nails done, your heads on.
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  It always had a cool DJ in there.
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  I mean, not for me. I would turn up and I would make
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  a full day of it. And I've been there for hours.
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  It wasn't just a store. It was a whole fashion landmark.
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  And I guess the real question that I have is can they really
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  create that cultural magic in a new era of retail?
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  Because it's going to take more than just a relaunch.
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  It's, you know, I guess it's a bit of a reinvention of, of what
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  Top Shop means now. But on this topic, super, super,
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  super fascinating because they are coming back, but they're
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  kind of walking this tightrope between Gen Z and millennial
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  nostalgia, You know, if they've actually been teasing even.
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  Do you know the Johnny Jeans? Have you heard about the Johnny
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  Jeans before? Go on, tell me a bit more about
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  it maybe? Well, for example, the journey
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  jeans were iconic place to buy and the journey and journey
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  jeans and like they've even teased back old products like
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  that. I was just curious to see if you
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  left. Interestingly.
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  Well, they were, they were women's jeans.
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  I don't think top man did the same.
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  But that's all I used to wear. But now I'm like, would I really
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  go back to that? You know, have I evolved too
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  much as a consumer because I'm not the same 19 year old
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  building outfits in Oxford Circus changing route anymore?
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  And I guess it raises the real question is are they trying to
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  win over Gen Z with a new brand moment?
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  Or. Are they banking on millennials
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  really kind of emotionally reconnecting with the old brand
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  with things like the Johnny Jeans?
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  And either way, it's a smart play.
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  Just quickly, they've not said that they're reopening, right?
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  They're just going to come back with a cap so this could be
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  stocked on this is their Rambu who owings them is it?
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  Well, they're coming back with their new topshop.com.
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  So, right. So actually they're going to go,
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  OK, got you. Oh yeah, they're coming back.
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  And you know, they've done an amazing job at the hype as well.
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  They've they've really hinted at having a physical space as well.
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  So they are making a real comeback.
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  I don't know which way it's going to go.
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  I don't know whether they're trying to target both, but I'm
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  very intrigued to see how it's going to pan out.
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  And I think they've done an incredible job at the hype.
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  They really have. That's super interesting.
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  OK. Well, listen, moving on to my
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  first one, I think I can't remember last week or the week
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  before I spoke about pop ups and luxury and how pop ups are sort
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  of the way of connecting online brands to physical spaces.
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  And here we have a homegrown AUK brand called Studio 7.
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  They were born out of, I'm sorry, they were born during
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  COVID. They've gone online from
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  strength to strength. And now they're having their
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  first ever pop up in where is a Greek St in central London.
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  And it starts tomorrow. So if if you, you know this will
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  go out, if you're listening to this and fancy going to see some
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  cool probably will butcher what It's not athleisure.
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  I don't know. Whatever you call this category,
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  Simone, what would you categorise this as?
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  Is it leisure wear? It's like.
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  It's cutesy Ledger. I don't know what pyjamas.
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  Is it loungewear? Yeah, there's loungewear.
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  OK, it's loungewear. I don't know.
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  I don't want to say it's loungewear and it might not.
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  Yeah, what I'm like, is it also? Yeah, exactly.
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  And I think, you know, and I found the story going from
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  strength to strength. They're doing their first.
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  I don't think they're London-based either, but they're
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  doing a London-based pop up and I'm always up for supporting UK
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  talent. And I if you, if you're about go
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  ahead and, and, and take a visit.
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  And then that's the details there will be in the show notes
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  as well. Back over to you for a a battle
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  of retail. Yeah.
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  So something that I feel like it's just been an ongoing topic
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  of conversation over the well in 2025 has really been this John
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  Lewis versus M&S. There's been a lot of talk
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  whether John Lewis can actually close the gap on M&S,
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  especially, you know, Marks and Spencer's as we know they've had
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  such a moment over the past few years.
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  I myself have questioned me like, am I getting a bit older
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  or is M&S getting a bit cooler? I think it's a mix of wealth,
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  but M&S for me, it's been, it's really gone from like your mum's
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  safe bet to something genuinely so, so fashionable, so confident
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  with a real clear sense of identity as well.
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  And John Lewis is making some good moves, new hires, store
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  refreshes. And what I've noticed is a
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  really kind of a tighter edit in fashion.
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  And I've noticed recently some really great third party brands
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  joining and brands that I wouldn't expect.
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  Brands like Hayley Menzies, Regina Peel have an exclusive
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  collab with them, Aloha's beautiful shoe brand.
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  And it just feels like that they're starting to really
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  sharpen their curation and maybe take more risks.
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  Yeah, it will be interesting to see how that pans out.
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  And I'll be honest, I haven't done much shopping at John
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  Lewis. I don't really feel like I'm
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  that consumer, but when they're starting to introduce brands
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  like that, I'm their heads turning and they've got me
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  interested. And I think they are wanting to
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  attract a younger, more style conscious shopper.
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  But I think as we know their core customer is being more of a
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  maybe practical loyal older shopper who it's.
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  It's really difficult, but I know like a few years back M&S
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  bought Jaeger and a few other brands right as part they sort
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  of integrated them. And I, I don't know if this
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  whenever I say I shot them, I'm thinking is that doing the brand
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  any just this or not? But M&S does happen to have I, I
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  stop at both and, and John Lewis is always that sort of, if you
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  want that, you know, branded item like they do Oogo boss,
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  they do, they do Ralph Lauren, they do all these brands for
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  especially for men that they are.
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  And they've introduced these younger brands.
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  So they 100%, I think you're absolutely right.
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  They are trying to appeal to a new generation.
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  And then they have the massive CEO scandal, you know, where
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  they had a new scandal. She did what she did and then
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  they said that's not the way we want to go, you know, like
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  getting rid of the no never knowingly undersold strap line.
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  And they always and the food element with Waitrose played a
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  part as well. And so that had a a contentious
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  element. Whereas M&S quietly has been
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  transforming and whether or not it's fighting ALDI about or Lidl
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  about Colin the Caterpillar, but they're basically tried to stay
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  in in the headlines. And I think it's interesting
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  whether or not my generation has the wallet spend or your
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  generation is the future of that wallet spend and who they're
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  going to. And I think they're going to try
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  and go to both of us because they can't afford to alienate
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  one of us. And I've seen loads of, you
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  know, LinkedIn posts where middle-aged men find themselves
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  going through John Lewis trying to be cool because they know
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  it's a trustworthy place to start.
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  Right. So that the brands that you've
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  mentioned, obviously I have, oh, I dare of, but I can imagine
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  that's a very sort of strategic move trying to get the caller
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  shopper in there because that's where the future is for them.
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  And, and I think the, the other major thing about John Lewis was
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  again, three or four years ago, they said that 60% or sorry, 40%
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  of their revenue will come from non retail activity such as
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  being a property landlord. And I was like, wow, that's I
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  have no, probably things have moved on since the departure of
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  the CEO, but they, it feels like maybe they're retrenching back
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  in their heritage as retail. Yeah, part as a part from trying
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  to be a landlord and furniture and all the other categories
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  that they sell. OK, moving on, keeping
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  everything going. Beauty.
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  Beauty is feels like retails growth category across the world
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  and Australia seems to be churning out these big brands.
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  Aesop, they've got these amazing stores in Westfield.
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  They're all around the world and they're going from strength to
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  strength. But there's also another pop up
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  for for people who may be interested in a loose end.
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  Eco by Sonia is the brand obviously huge in Australia.
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  Australia. How many followers have they
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  got? Three about 300,000 followers.
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  But they have an interesting founder story.
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  But I'll let you the listeners will readers go off and and look
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  at her story. But if you are at a loose end,
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  they are also running a pop up. I would go to their Oh, sorry,
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  it's right here. That's the first post.
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  Yeah, it's on Columbia Rd. If you're in London.
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  I have a pop pop up to them, pop by to their pop up.
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  I'll be editing that out of my my bit and then I will finish on
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  Wimbledon. Finished last week.
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  Very happy for the winner. Very disastrous for all the
• 12:00
  Spanish followers as Akaras didn't win but Biro did an
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  activation. You might be thinking you may
• 12:07
  know who Biro is because you're super trendy.
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  Obviously I didn't, but I saw them at Wimbledon.
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  Tom Holland. Mr Spider Man Marvel Universe,
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  this is his huare into the alcoholic or beverages market
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  and a strong, strong association with tennis.
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  Again, we talked about this on the podcast heritage activities
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  such as Formula One, Wimbledon being tied into these new
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  brands. And obviously Bureau is a
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  alcohol free non alcoholic beer. The interesting strapline born
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  in London, crafted in America, enjoyed worldwide and they offer
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  a whole membership around this and I didn't know, but I was
• 12:53
  already a member. But they're clever.
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  This is what this is a great example of how seamless the
• 13:00
  Shopify payment integration into a sign like Bureau allowed me
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  seamlessly to sign up without even knowing that I was already
• 13:11
  sign in. You know, so as soon as I go in,
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  it's oh, and I've got a five $5 credit off we go.
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  I'm going to be having fun this weekend.
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  So anything that's the my final story for this week.
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  OK, They were our five things Friday.
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  Thank you so much for giving up your time and joining us on this
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  fast-paced 5 Things Friday UK edition.
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  Simone. Until next week.
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  Until next week. Thanks, Alex.