Arcadia's Topshop, Topman Plan First Africa Pop-Up Outlet

Arcadia Group Ltd.’s Topshop and Topman fashion chains will open their first pop-up shop in Africa on July 12 to test consumer appetite for the U.K. clothing brands.

The store-within-a-store will open at Cape Town’s Unknown Union retail outlet and operate until the end of October, Sean Shuter, director of Unknown Union, said by phone from the South African city.

Growth in South Africa’s middle class has encouraged luxury clothing brands from abroad, such as Burberry Group Plc (BRBY), to add stores in the country since last year. The South African expansion by Arcadia, which is controlled by British billionaire Philip Green, contrasts with the company’s plans to scale back in the U.K.

“I knew Topshop and Topman had brand recognition locally, but now it seems bigger than I’d thought,” Shuter said. “For a pop-up store, this is a fairly long run.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Janice Kew in Johannesburg at jkew4@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Celeste Perri at cperri@bloomberg.net