Topshop and Topman to be sold in John Lewis at Bluewater Shopping Centre in Greenhithe

Topshop will be returning to Kent four years after it left high streets when its then-owners fell into administration.

The fashion brand will be available in John Lewis, in Bluewater Shopping Centre, Greenhithe, from February next year as part of a new partnership between the firms.

It comes amid efforts from the department store chain to drive its growth and attract more young people as it continues with a major transformation plan under managing director Peter Ruis.

As part of its strategy, John Lewis is investing significantly in its fashion business.

Yesterday (September 3), bosses confirmed it will start selling Topshop products in 32 of its stores across the UK next year, with Topman products launching in six sites.

It comes weeks after Topshop, which shut all its high street stores in 2021 after parent firm Arcadia tumbled into administration, returned to physical stores with products in Liberty in central London.

However, the latest move will mark the first time customers across the UK will be able to see the brand in stores again after four years under the ownership of online fashion giant Asos.

Mr Ruis said: “We think this is something people will queue outside the door for.

“We have younger customers, beauty is a classic example of that, and John Lewis is multi-generational, but I think it will bring in more.

“It will bring more of those ‘family day out’ shoppers and as the only place to go for it, we will hopefully be driving customers who do not always come through the door, across all age groups.”

Managing director of Topshop, Michelle Wilson, added: “The conversations we have had with customers around the relaunch is that people are desperate to see Topshop back in stores.

“We do think we will bring customers into John Lewis that might not have come in before.”

Read more: Kent’s lost Topshop shops

At its peak, 500 shops could be found across high streets up and down the country – as well as internationally – including seven in Kent.

They were in Bluewater Shopping Centre, Tunbridge Wells, Maidstone, Canterbury, Ashford, Westwood Cross Shopping Centre and Folkestone.