Downtown retailers interested in Midtown space

Uniqlo (left) and Topshop (right) are interested in the old Brooks Brothers space (center)

According to the Post, downtown retailers are interested in the former Brooks Brothers site at 666 Fifth Avenue, at 53rd Street. Sources said the two front-runners to take the 30,000-square-foot, two-level space are Uniqlo and Topshop, which both have locations on Broadway in Soho. The building’s retail space is owned by a partnership of Kushner Cos., Crown Acquisitions and the Carlyle Group. The partners bought Brooks Brothers out of its below-market lease last year for $47 million. The asking rent for the space is reportedly $30 million a year.