Topshop owner Sir Philp Green is not a normal person. Normal people don’t sail around on yachts with a topless Kate Moss, or consult the prime minister on the side, or count as billionaires, or, well, own Topshop. But that doesn’t mean Green doesn’t have feelings behind his ambitions, or buttons deep down inside, that — if they can be pushed by anyone — can and have been pushed by Manhattan Realtors and landlords. Sir Philip, who just announced he’ll open a Topshop in Chicago on Michigan Avenue in the late spring, is still looking for a second Manhattan Topshop location. He sounds like anyone would looking for real estate in this city:
“We’ve had 12 negotiations so far, and I’d just like to say I don’t have ‘stupid’ written on my forehead. I’m not into ego trips. We are investors building a brand, and I need these stores to make money,” he said.
Green plans to open in Las Vegas, L.A., San Francisco, and Miami — all those cities to which everyone who’s fed up with their New York habitats fantasizes about having the balls to move.
