Designer fashion store taking over old Topshop at Derbion

A new fashion store stocking high-end designer brands is to open in the unit vacated by Topshop at Derbion.

Luxury retailer Flannels will be opening at the city shopping centre by the end of the year, with the store likely to welcome its first customers in December.

Flannels, acquired by Frasers Group in 2017, stocks designer brands including Balenciaga, Gucci and Jimmy Choo.

Read more: New department store to open in old Debenhams at Derbion

The retailer, which sells men’s, women’s and children’s fashion, will take over the 24,000 sq ft unit which was previously Topshop and Topman.

Once open, the store will join Tommy Hilfiger, which opened in June, and Mango, which is set to open in November, as new brands to open on Level 2 this year.

The news comes on a day when Derbion announced that Frasers Group, headquartered in Shirebrook, Derbyshire, has also signed a deal which will see a Frasers department store open in the former Debenhams unit next year.

Completing the significant deal, Frasers Group has confirmed it will also take a further 50,000 sq ft of retail space, which housed the former BHS department store in St Peter’s Street.

Earlier this year, a planning application went in to turn the store into a House of Fraser designer outlet and Evans Cycles, though bosses at Derbion say details of the identities of the stores opening there have not yet been finalised.

Once all three stores are open, Frasers Group will operate in 20% of the floor space available across the whole centre.

Adam Tamsett, general manager of Derbion, said: “There is no doubt the last year has been challenging for our sector, but it comes with opportunity.

“The retail landscape is continuing to shift, and our ambitious plans for the centre complement the rapid changes that retailers are facing.

“By taking an agile, forward-thinking approach, the team has been able to secure 200,000 sq ft of new leasings this year, an incredible feat given the current climate.

“It’s particularly rewarding to be able to announce our exciting partnership with the Frasers Group, with their headquarters not far from us in Shirebrook, and we’re looking forward to welcoming their popular brands to Derbion.

“The significant investment planned for the centre further signals the complete confidence that we have in Derby.

“With many significant, multi-million pound projects happening on our doorstep, £15 million secured as part of the Future High Street Fund and the recent announcement that Derby will be bidding to become the UK’s City of Culture in 2025, the future is very bright.”

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