River Island to take Manhattan

River Island, the UK fashion chain, is plotting to open its first store in the US. The retailer, which has nearly 300 stores at home and abroad, including Singapore, is considering opening in New York's Manhattan next year and has conducted early-stage due diligence on possible sites. This would see it follow in the footsteps of Topshop, which launched in the Big Apple three years ago.

The US market has proved notoriously difficult for UK retailers to crack, as shown by the exits of Sainsbury's and Marks & Spencer in 2004 and 2001, respectively.