TOPMAN In 2001, Topman chief executive David Shepherd told the world via an interview with trade magazine Menswear that his customers were "beer-swilling lads" and "football hooligans". Adding: "Very few of our customers have to wear suits to work. They'll be for his first interview or court case." Shares fell a modest 1.5%. A spokesman explained: "What he was trying to convey was that there is a laddish element to our ranges and that he himself is a bit of a bloke... he exaggerated a little to make the point." Ha-ha!