Poshing up Topshop? Taking space on Fifth Avenue

Is there such a thing as an upscale Topshop? New York likely is about to find out, as the British company will be taking 40,000 s/f at 608 Fifth Ave., at 49th St., to open on Halloween. According to our friends at Women's Wear Daily, who broke the story, this unit will be more high-end in nature to fit in better with such posh neighbors as Saks Fifth Ave., Armani and more. But doesn't that contradict Topshop's affordable chic image? Not necessarily. In this case, it appears, Topshop will appeal to the luxury market through services and presentation. Plans call for a personal shopper, unique product and some changes in visual merchandising. I'm really not sure it's entirely necessary - Uniqlo and H&M both have settled in nicely in the heart of the most luxury-oriented stretch of the avenue without changing their products or images. Still, this is another major commitment by another international brand to Fifth Ave., which has become a world showcase of retail. Hurray! It may be cold in the city, but leasing certainly is hot! Roland Mouret's first New York flagship will be at 952 Madison Ave., formerly Bang & Olufsen. Vintage e-commerce site LXR & Co. has made its pop-up shop at 112 Wooster St. permanent. Amorino's French gelato and chocolates will be coming to 162 Eighth Ave. this summer. Find more Scandinavian home style at Budin, 114 Greenpoint Ave. in, yes, Greenpoint. Castor & Pollux is rebranding itself as an all-natural beauty store at 238 West 10th St. Gourmet Garage's sixth store in the city will be at 366 Broadway. French clothing line The Kooples is subletting Moschino's shop at 401 West 14th St. through September 2018. Dior reportedly will open a second SoHo unit at 103 Greene St. Levi's RED pop-up store will be open through the end of the month at 58-60 Ninth Ave. Pucker, a new makeup salon at 129 Grand St., offers some 100 different lipstick shades! The engagements calendar is starting to get busy again. NYCREW's next Industry Spotlight will salute both Women's History Month and our ever-changing planet. "Women Greening NYC: Sustainability in Commercial Real Estate" will feature a panel of outstanding experts in green initiatives talking about the benefits and challenges of making our buildings cost-efficient and safe for the environment. The event will be held Tuesday, March 25th from 6 to 8 p.m. at the offices of Ted Moudis Associates, 79 Madison Ave. Amelia Janisz, CEO and president of Environmental Health & Building Safety (and a NYCREW member) will moderate a panel consisting of: Charlotte Matthews, VP of sustainability for Related Cos.; Sukanya Paciorek, senior VP of corporate sustainability of Vornado Realty Trust; and Eleni Reed, chief greening officer of the US GSA Public Buildings Service. To register, visit www.nycrew.org. Further out, I'm thrilled, as a newly minted national board member of Commercial Real Estate Women's Network (CREW), to announce that CREW and our friends at the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) have revived the CREW Breakfast at ICSC's RECon convention in Las Vegas. The breakfast, to be held Monday, May 19th from 7:30 to 9 a.m. will feature guest speaker Jean Chatzky, financial editor for NBC's Today Show and best-selling author. A terrific way to network for CREW members and all, this breakfast was always a highlight of the conference, and we're all delighted it's back on the schedule. For more information, and to register for RECon, visit http://reconlasvegas.icsc.org/2014RECON/index.php. Happy Shopping! Faith Hope Consolo is the chairman, the retail group, at Douglas Elliman, New York, N.Y.