Business
Topshop returns to the high street, but can it get its cool back?
Karwai Tang/WireImage)For teenage girls like me in the 2000s and 2010s, going into a Topshop store was like being transported into a fantasy world.
There was music! Makeup! And fashion! All under one roof – with Topshop clothes often found on the pages of Vogue alongside high-end couture.
But somewhere along the way, things went wrong.
“Topshop lost its cool,” said fashion journalist Amber Graafland.
“And when that happens, it’s hard. Fashion is a fickle beast, people move on quickly.”
Then in 2020, its owner, Sir Philip Green’s Arcadia group, collapsed. All of Topshop’s physical stores shut soon after.
But Topshop is now launching a major comeback.
Standalone stores are returning to the High Street, Michelle Wilson, managing director of Topshop and Topman, confirmed to BBC News.
And on Saturday, Topshop is hosting its first catwalk show for seven years in Trafalgar Square. We’ve been told long-time brand muse model Cara Delevingne will be there.
It seems absence (and nostalgia) makes the heart grow fonder. As rumours of Topshop’s imminent return have been met by a wave of affection on social media, particularly among millennials and Gen-Z.
But industry experts say it will take more than nostalgia to make Topshop 2.0 a success.
‘They need to entice younger girls’
ShutterstockOne of the challenges that Topshop will face is attracting a new wave of shoppers through the doors.
Its previous core following are now women in their late 20s and 30s, but it can’t just rely on them, says Graafland.
“They will need to work hard to entice younger girls in,” she said.
What might help, though, is the nostalgia trend that has taken over social media feeds and High Streets in recent months (Joni jeans, anyone?)
Topshop’s team, for their part, think they can attract both older and newer groups.
“We want to deliver for those that are nostalgic for a brand that they felt like they lost,” Wilson said.
“But we absolutely want to appeal to a new demographic as well.”
Then, there’s the fashion. For me, shopping in Topshop as a teenager made me feel like the ‘it girl’.
On Saturdays, you’d breeze through racks to find the one item that justified taking money out of your barely-there bank balance.
When you bought it, you’d act nonchalant. “Oh this old thing? It’s from Topshop,” you’d tell your school friends, as if you could afford it all the time.
And I wasn’t the only one. Huge crowds would throng to the London landmark store to witness the launch of new ranges from A-listers like Beyoncé and Kate Moss.
Getty ImagesIn the 90s and 00s, designers “used to laugh at High Street fashion”, said Wayne Hemingway, a designer and co-founder of Red or Dead.
“They couldn’t keep up with the trends. Topshop was the only one that did.”
Hemingway, who worked with Topshop through its heyday, said a large part of its success was down to the team behind it, including Jane Shepherdson, its hugely influential brand director.
“They brought in second hand clothes for example, that’s normal now, but back then it was seen as absolutely radical to have a shopping department store doing that,” he said.
“You had the collaborations, the London Fashion Walk catwalk, all this design and excitement at High Street prices. It was so fresh, everyone wanted to be part of it.”
But over time, what people were looking for changed – and Topshop didn’t always keep up, said Graafland.
“They offered that unique London look. Then the girls who shopped there grew up, and they didn’t want that look anymore,” she said.
“You cannot afford to take your finger off pulse for one minute in fashion.”
She added that Topshop 2.0 would benefit from the fact its core aesthetic – the London girl look – is back in style, and that not many other retailers are offering it.
“If you look at the High Street now, there’s a strong Spanish presence, with the likes of Zara, and also a Swedish presence with H&M. When Arcadia collapsed, we lost that Britishness,” she said.
She added that a lot of the High Street is “playing it safe right now”, and that could also work in Topshop’s favour if can “get that cool edge back”.
Topshop’s team is confident that it can still win over shoppers with its trademark London-based swagger.
“We still think there’s a huge gap in the market for that,” Wilson said.
“The most important thing that we won’t forget, and maybe got forgotten about towards the end of the previous era, is that product is everything.
“It has to be the best quality product, the most fashionable product for our customer base, and bringing that at good value.”
And then there are the prices
Getty ImagesTopshop’s popularity peaked in the heady years before the cost of living crisis. Its team are aware of the stiff competition it now faces.
A pair of Topshop jeans will easily set you back about £50. Chinese fast fashion giant Shein offers them for about £17.
“If we’re just comparing Shein, then yes, I think most brands on the planet are at a higher price point than Shein,” Wilson said.
But she added: “We know that when we offer great fashion and great value for money then the product does sell very well, so absolutely no concerns about that to be honest.”
While Topshop might not churn out new pieces at the breakneck speed of its online-only rivals, in the past, it’s still faced questions over its environmental record.
For younger shoppers, this can be an important factor in deciding where to go.
Wilson, however, indicates the higher prices reflect a more sustainable model.
The firm’s focus, she said, is very much “on the livelihoods of people within the supply chain that we partner with and also the environmental impacts of the brand”.
‘There’s got to be a buzz around it’
PA MediaAfter Sir Green’s retail empire collapsed, the Topshop brand was bought by Asos.
You can still buy the items online on their website – but now, in-store shopping is coming back.
Topshop’s return to the High Street starts this month, with products set to be available to buy in certain stores.
But of course, the real interest is in the standalone stores which Wilson said are “definitely” coming back.
She wouldn’t give a date for their return, but said the aim was to open stores across the nation.
Topshop is choosing to relaunch at a time when the High Street continues to struggle. Just days ago, fashion accessories chain Claire’s collapsed into administration.
But Wilson said lessons have been learnt after what happened to Topshop 1.0.
“We’re just making sure we do it in the right way so that we don’t over-expand ourselves,” she said.
As for the stores themselves, it remains to be seen if they’ll have the same vibe as before.
For me, it was where I met friends after school, tried on eye shadow for the first time, and listened to DJs pumping out dance music.
In some stores you were able to order skinny caramel lattes, get your hair and nails done, and maybe even get a piercing or two if your mum wasn’t watching.
“Fashion is only part of the story. It’s about selling a lifestyle and an experience,” Graafland said. “There’s got to be that buzz around it.”
Topshop’s team say they won’t necessarily be replicating what it used to do, but rather, “finding ways to bring that into 2025 and do interesting things”.
Overall, the hopes are high.
“They will get the girls to the stores, I don’t doubt it,” Graafland said.
“The question is whether they can keep them there.”
Business
Green energy exports: $10-bn green ammonia project positions India as global clean-fuel supplier; Kakinada plant nears key milestone – The Times of India
A $10-billion green hydrogen and green ammonia project at Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh is set to cross a major construction milestone, reinforcing India’s ambition to emerge as a global supplier of clean energy to markets such as Germany, Japan and Singapore.The first major equipment erection ceremony of AM Green’s Green Hydrogen and Green Ammonia Complex will be held on January 17 and will be attended by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Konidala Pawan Kalyan, state government officials said, PTI reported.Billed as one of the largest clean-energy investments in India to date, the project involves a total outlay of $10 billion and is expected to generate up to 8,000 jobs during the construction phase, besides substantial high-skill employment during operations and across allied sectors including renewable energy, logistics, storage and port services.AM Green is developing India’s first and the world’s largest green ammonia complex at Kakinada, with a planned capacity of 1.5 million tonnes per annum, through the brownfield conversion of an existing ammonia-urea facility. The project will be commissioned in phases, beginning with 0.5 million tonnes per annum by 2027, scaling up to 1 million tonnes by 2028 and reaching full capacity by 2030.Once operational, the facility will enable India’s first exports of green ammonia, which is increasingly being adopted globally as a clean shipping fuel, for power generation and as a carrier for green hydrogen.The integrated project spans 7.5 gigawatts of solar and wind capacity, 1,950 megawatts of electrolyser capacity and 2 gigawatts of round-the-clock renewable power, supported by pumped hydro storage, including India’s first such facility at Pinnapuram in Andhra Pradesh.AM Green has already signed long-term supply agreements with Germany-based utility Uniper and is in advanced discussions with potential buyers in Japan and Singapore, establishing India’s first green-energy export linkages with Europe and advanced Asian economies.The project is aligned with Andhra Pradesh’s Integrated Clean Energy Policy, 2024, which seeks to position the state as India’s primary hub for green hydrogen and green ammonia. Once fully commissioned, the facility is expected to mark a structural shift from energy import dependence towards clean-energy exports, placing Andhra Pradesh at the centre of the global green-energy value chain.AM Green, backed by the founders of the Greenko Group, is developing the project through AM Green Ammonia, a partnership involving Malaysia-based Gentari, Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority. Construction at the Kakinada site is already under way, placing it among a limited set of large-scale green ammonia facilities globally that meet Renewable Fuels of Non-Biological Origin (RFNBO) standards.Beyond production, the project showcases an end-to-end clean-energy ecosystem within a single state, encompassing large-scale renewable generation, round-the-clock green power backed by storage, hydrogen and ammonia production, and port-based export infrastructure.AM Green has also moved to strengthen global linkages. In May last year, it announced a partnership with the Port of Rotterdam Authority to create a dedicated green-fuel corridor linking India with north-western Europe, aimed at enabling annual trade of up to 1 million tonnes of green fuels valued at nearly $1 billion. Earlier, it tied up with global logistics firm DP World to develop green fuel storage and export facilities in India and overseas.“This is not merely an industrial project, but a strategic step in positioning Andhra Pradesh and India as leaders in clean-energy exports and climate action,” the state government said.
Business
Budget 2026 Should Support MSMEs, Critical Minerals For Boosting Trade Resilience: Deloitte
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Deloitte India urges FY27 Budget to boost MSME support and critical mineral security, job protection and advancing India’s global manufacturing and clean energy goals.
Budget 2026 Expectations.
Budget 2026: Deloitte India has pitched a sharper focus on MSME support and critical mineral security in the FY27 Union Budget, arguing that these measures are essential to strengthen India’s trade resilience and reduce external vulnerabilities amid rising global uncertainty.
In its Budget expectations note, Deloitte India said micro, small and medium enterprises play a pivotal role in the economy, accounting for nearly 46% of India’s exports and emerging as the second-largest employer after agriculture. According to the firm, easing financial and compliance-related pressures on MSMEs would help them cope with global volatility, sustain production and remain competitive in overseas markets.
The Union Budget 2026-27 will be tabled on Sunday, February 1.
“Strengthening MSMEs will safeguard jobs and drive inclusive economic growth, boost rural incomes and support India’s ambition to become a global manufacturing hub,” Deloitte said.
The firm recommended measures such as enhanced export credit availability, concessional financing and simplified digital compliance systems to reduce the regulatory burden on small businesses. It also called for comprehensive training programmes to improve last-mile competitiveness of MSMEs, particularly those linked to global value chains.
Deloitte further suggested targeted export incentives or enhanced duty drawback support for tariff-sensitive sectors such as ready-made garments, gems and jewellery, and leather, which are more vulnerable to global trade disruptions.
Highlighting the risks from an increasingly protectionist global environment, Deloitte Economist Rumki Majumdar said rising uncertainty from tariff hikes, changes in rules of origin and non-tariff barriers could disproportionately affect Indian exporters. While the direct impact of global trade frictions on GDP growth may be limited to 40-80 basis points, the spillover effects on MSMEs and employment could be far more severe.
“MSMEs contribute 30.1 per cent to GDP, account for 45.79 per cent of India’s exports and employ nearly 290 million people; disruptions in export markets or tightening trade rules pose serious risks to jobs and income stability,” Majumdar said.
Beyond MSMEs, Deloitte emphasised the need for a strategic push on critical minerals to secure supply chains and support India’s clean energy transition. It proposed setting up a dedicated critical minerals fund to finance overseas acquisitions and technology partnerships, ensuring long-term access to essential resources.
The firm also recommended deeper global collaboration with regions such as Africa, Australia and Latin America to secure upstream access to minerals, alongside joint research and development in mineral processing and recycling. In addition, it called for incentives to promote investments in renewable energy, green hydrogen and grid-scale energy storage.
Deloitte said expanded funding for exploration, extraction and processing of key critical minerals, including lithium, cobalt and rare earth magnets, would be crucial to reduce import dependence and strengthen India’s strategic and economic security in the years ahead.
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January 16, 2026, 15:02 IST
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Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Friday staged a strong comeback, breaking the long bearish momentum as snowballing forex reserves have lifted investor sentiment.
During intraday trading, the PSX’s benchmark KSE-100 index gained a whopping 3,146.23 points to climb to 184,602.56 points, marking a positive change of 1.70%.
Out of 562 active companies, share prices of 375 advanced and of 67 declined while rates of 120 companies remained unchanged.
Economic analysts said the uptick offered some breathing space for the economy, even as the country continued to keep a close watch on external inflows and outflows.
Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves inched up by $16 million over the past week, according to figures released by the State Bank of Pakistan.
The central bank said its official reserves rose from $16.0557 billion to $16.0718 billion, showing a modest gain during the week.
Overall, the country’s total reserves climbed to $21.2484 billion.
The State Bank also noted that commercial banks’ holdings went up by $5.6 million, reaching $5.1927 billion.
The central bank projects the FY26 current account deficit at 0–1% of GDP and sees reserves at $17.8 billion by June 2026 with planned official inflows.
A day earlier, the stock exchange dropped by over 1,100 points due to massive selling pressure.
The PSX had extended losses after recording an increase for a brief period as investors seemed cautious amid rising geopolitical tensions involving Iran.
During intraday trading, the KSE-100 index touched 183,717.53 due to strong buying in the early sessions before it turned bearish by losing 69.29 points to close at 182,500.52 points.
International officials have warned that US military intervention in Iran now appears likely and could take place within the next 24 hours amid sharply escalating tensions in the Middle East.
American, European and Israeli sources said preparations for possible action were under way as Washington began evacuating personnel from its major air base in Qatar.
Green energy exports: $10-bn green ammonia project positions India as global clean-fuel supplier; Kakinada plant nears key milestone – The Times of India
Budget 2026 Should Support MSMEs, Critical Minerals For Boosting Trade Resilience: Deloitte
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