Pop-Up Archives -

Prospering with pop-up stores

During fashion week in London’s Soho district this past February, Lego opened a pop-up store with nothing in it. Well, nothing except for a pedestal displaying a QR code. When visitors scanned the “Snapcode,” linked to Snapchat, their phones displayed an augmented reality-enabled fashion boutique where they could interact with arcade games, a DJ and a bouncer. They also could view an exclusive limited-edition apparel collection, available for purchase through the social media site’s “Shop Now” feature.

Pop-up concepts like this are becoming essential in retail, where consumers’ insatiable desire for the new and different requires constant testing and experimentation. Pop-ups lend an air of exclusivity, an of-the-moment excitement and Instagram worthiness that generates top-of-mind brand buzz in crowded markets. Their success has driven the pop-up industry to approximately $10 billion in sales, according to PopUp Republic.

Retailers create pop-ups for a variety of reasons, and their run times vary from just a few days to months or more. Common purposes include the desire to:

Explore potential new markets; Goop recently opened a London pop-up for this purpose.
Test new products/concepts/services and experiment, such as Wrangler trying out a new global high-end line in London.
Try out brick-and-mortar, for e-Commerce-only retailers.
Attract a new customer base, such as House of Fraser’s recent pop-up.
Promote the brand.
Engage directly with customers, especially for brands that sell primarily through retailers. Superdruginvited social media influencers to select the products for its ethical makeup-only pop-up.
Study and learn from customers.
Tie in to holidays or events, such as Waterstones’ International Woman’s Day pop-up featuring only female authors.
Take advantage of an opportunistic lease in a prime location.
Serve as a click-and-collect/BOPIS location, as Zara did at Westfield Stratford in east London.

Some pop-ups run their course and close down, but retailers have also adopted pop-up only business models — generating excitement by temporarily setting up shop at locations suggested by their social media following, for example — or moved on from the pop-up concept to full brick-and-mortar sites, as Amazon is now doing in the U.S.

Cloud-based platforms are well-suited for retailers operating pop-ups because they give the new location instant access to the software needed to run the store without anyone needing to install and configure devices on site.

“Pop-ups are a physical media channel much like the Internet, TV and radio, and can be used as a tool to tell a brand’s story,” said Leon Goldwater, Chief Executive Officer of We Are Pop Up, a firm that helps businesses book pop-up spaces and ShopShares in Europe.

“Many brands and retailers have realised the impact of using physical locations as experiential concepts and that they are essential to activate and keep customers engaged. The pop-up needs to be seen as part of the brand’s marketing strategy and as a great way to test out new concepts, ideas and formats.”

Written by: Andrew Gaffney

Nine simple ways retailers can prepare their store for Spring/Summer 2019

With the Christmas trading period over, retailers are redefining their strategy which should reflect new trends, concepts, and their new merchandise. There is not a second chance to make a first impression, therefore storefront windows and interior design are a vital part in ensuring effective visual merchandising and store presentation. The season kicks off with Valentine’s Day followed by Mother’s Day and for many retailers, these events are just as important as the run-up to Christmas. To help prepare the store for Spring/Summer 2019, we explore nine ways retailers can prepare the store for Spring/Summer 2019:

A Journey of Discovery

Embrace the seasons, reinvent traditional themes, create excitement and add some retail theatre. Attract customers by offering quality products, as well as exceptional service provided by your experienced and professional sales team and the overall store presentation. With the ever-increasing popularity of online shopping, retailers need to create a novelty, a sense of attractiveness to entice customers back to the High Street and into their stores. Customers need to feel that shopping in your particular store is a pleasurable experience. There needs to be a sense of excitement with the range of merchandise on offer and how it is presented. The merchandise needs to be presented in a way that enhances its qualities and increasing its desirability, making it an instant “must have”. To lure them into the store there must be a sense of urgency, event or something that creates that fear of missing out (FOMO).

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Trends for Spring / Summer 2019

This is an exciting time of the year to seek out and source the trends for 2019. Integrating new themes and reflecting seasonal trends in changing your colour palette are just of the key areas to look into. Across every kind of store, this year’s fixture trends are enhancing the experience through mobility and modularity. For ABC, this comes in the form of flexible fixtures and the flow from brand to brand. Hogan draws on a sculptural interpretation of movement for its design, while Fly Pony incorporates fixtures as props to support the brand story. In all instances, it’s a blend of immersion and in-store experience. However, it’s done – from shape-shifting shelving to the future’s AR display cases – fixtures are driving the change.

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The launch of the Spring Trade Fairs

This year kicks off with the launch of the various Trade Fairs in London, Birmingham, Paris and Frankfurt. Pure London, Maison Objet, Ambient, Top Drawer are just a few of the key events you don’t want to miss out on. Whether you are a fashion, home or gift retailer, this is an ideal time to visit the fairs, review the new trends and purchase the right merchandise for your store.

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Create a 2019 Marketing & Visual Merchandising Calendar

To ensure the implementation of your strategy create a calendar that will help you and your staff to be up-to-date with what events are planned for the store. The calendar will help with planning, budgets, sourcing new merchandise, signage. It might also help to track your progress.

Your Store Layout

Re-plan your store by moving fixtures to create a fresh layout. Consider zoning and categorizing areas to give your store a new look. Even the smallest of changes can make a big difference, inviting your customers to rediscover the merchandise.

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Watching paint dry?

Refresh your store by giving it a fresh coat of paint. Colour makes a strong statement, particularly if you are creating a feature wall with either paint or wallpaper. This will be very eye-catching to the customer. You now have a new setting for some great merchandise that you have bought from the trade fairs.

New fixtures

If your budget permits, consider sourcing new fixtures. These could be ready-made from a supplier or bespoke to your specifications. Use your imagination to create an inviting layout but most importantly ensure that the fixtures are stable and can be used for a variety of merchandise. To allow for product shift and brand evolution, designers built-in flexibility and mobility by using a system of modular fixtures. In the jewellery department, for example, fixtures can be reconfigured into different shapes as needed. In the cosmetics department – a section that’s notoriously heavy on brands – flow is paramount. Fluidity and clarity can be maintained throughout the store, via glass cases and scaffolding-style product displays that allow shoppers to open sightlines.

Geometric archway fixtures provide a magazine-like backdrop for selfies, while constantly changing windows are part of the journey from online to in store. In the kid’s section, fixtures like peg walls and cut out trees have a pop-up book look that’s interactive and engaging. In the pipeline for future in-store elements are digital displays that integrate virtual reality (VR) with physical products.

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Adapt your current fixtures.

If the budget is tight, consider giving a new look to existing fixtures. You could simply repaint them to give them a new lease of life. This will be an inexpensive way to freshen up and give your store a quick make-over!

Create focal points around the store

Create focal points around your store. This will allow you to guide your customers’ journey as they browse the store. These sites can be just a display but if possible use this site for merchandise. These sites are perfect as promotional area, or event space.

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Use the services of a professional Visual Merchandiser

You might be quite surprised to find out how inexpensive it is to hire a visual merchandiser. They will be able to advise on you on store layout, window concepts, product presentation and they will be able to create VM Guidelines to help train your staff. VM is not always about being creative, it is about being commercially minded to help you push specific product in your store.

Written by: Iain Kimmins

For more information, please see:

Creative Download

FÖMO Store, the physical lifestyle magazine debuts in Gothenburg

The new innovative retail concept has debuted in the Swedish city of Gothenburg earlier this year. FÖMO, short for “fear of missing out”, a new shopping experience in Mölndal Galleria, is as a physical lifestyle magazine, which provides a platform for brands to use it as a gateway into Sweden.

Similar to a micro-department store, it features anything and everything from clothing, accessories, footwear, jewellery, home decor, art and handcrafted goods. The difference, however, is that it’s not a typical store, it is anything but. It is an event focused destination for brand activation and for entrepreneurs to use the space to create a different type of experience. Its main focus is the ever-changing offer, with brands having a limited time to showcase their products or service, meaning that every time customers visit the store they will see, smell or taste something new.

‘The FÖMO concept can be considered the WeWork of retail. It offers convenience and a wow factor by providing limited editions and space as a service,” says Ilona Taillade, CEO of BrandSpots, and founder of the FÖMO concept.

So what does it mean for retailers?
FÖMO is breaking down the barriers for international brands to enter a new market and provides Retail As A Service (RAAS). It is practically risk-free for the retailer and provides the environment to test and launch new products or services. It is a place where retailers can engage with the customer to showcase and showroom their products. Brands are able to book space in the store through the We Are Pop Up online platform.

“There are many international brands that want to enter the Swedish market, but don’t want to make a half a million investment without testing the waters. With FÖMO it’s a flagship pop-up store where brands get the chance to test the market without the risks,” says Ilona Taillade, founder of FÖMO.

‘FOMO want to enrich the shopping experience in a way that feels exciting and innovative. Its urban location in Gothenburg and modern design makes Mölndal Galleria a suitable setting for brands to maximise brand awareness and activation,” says Magnus Bergman, Property Development Director at Citycon Mölndal Galleria.

Want to join FÖMO? Contact the FÖMO team!

Register your interest here

What is a pop-up shop?

A pop-up shop is temporary retail space used by one or multiple brands (shop share) to test new concepts, formats and markets in an innovative and original way without heavy investment.

Pop-up shops, by their ephemeral nature, encourage purchases through the FOMO (fear of missing out) effect. It is also now part of a strategy used by bigger brands to test a market or try new concepts. For pure play retailers it can directly connect them with their customers in order to engage or provide relevant research information and greater brand awareness.

The short-term retail concept is changing the traditional ways we shop.
Pop-up shops have become increasingly common as brands and retailers look to create new ways to heighten the brick and mortar arm of their operations. With the current demand for new retail concepts the property market is becoming more flexible through the use of technology, which enables brands to connect to landlords much faster than ever before and enable them to try short-term rents which is something that only started to happen in the last decade and is starting to go mainstream.

We Are Pop Up has created an easy process for brands to find and test spaces and for landlords to find tenants. It is the world’s largest network of retailers, landlords and brands collaborating on creative retail experiences through one platform. Known as the airbnb of retail, it is a booking platform for short-term retail spaces. Brands can also collaborate with each other to create retail experiences through brand-to-brand messaging and ShopShare.

Regardless of how successful a brand is online, nothing can replace the physical experience coupled with human interaction; pop-ups are here to stay and ultimately it will become a movement which will change the way retailers and property owners consider space, making it easier for businesses to utilise vacant spaces and create concepts never seen before.

How to Market Your Christmas Pop-Up Store Online

Want to make your sales pop this Christmas? Festive pop-up shops are all the rage for eCommerce businesses who want to maximise their sales this season. From city centre pop-up stores to Christmas market stands, indie beer brands in Chelmsford and pop-up cheese shops in Bristol, to the big boys of eCommerce like Amazon and eBay, pop-ups are becoming a quirky new way to shop for gifts at Christmas. Hey, even Kylie Minogue has a pop-up store in London this Christmas.

In an oversaturated online marketplace, taking your online presence offline and creating a temporary pop-up store is a spectacular Christmas marketing strategy. Pop-up shops are a fantastic way to entice people into your store with the lure of being temporary. You get to build interest and excitement in your brand and test the popularity of your products face-to-face with Christmas shoppers. Add the incentive of Christmas to the time-sensitive nature of a pop-up shop and you have a compelling combination to grow your brand awareness and drive Christmas sales.

So, how do you make the switch from the online marketplace to a physical store, ensuring the benefits make the work involved worthwhile? Here, we give you expert advice on marketing your Christmas pop-up online. With our run-down of techniques for pop-up success, we’ll make sure you’re on everybody’s wish list — and that you ‘sleigh’ your company targets for 2016.

Independent design market Christmas pop-up store

Design a Pop-Up Store that Reflects Your Online Brand

Retailers need customers to buy into their brand as much as their product, GfK stated in its report on the future of retail. Your physical pop-up store needs to seamlessly reflect your online brand. Creating synergy between your online and offline store will improve brand recognition, foster brand loyalty in your customers and keep them returning to your website for more, long after the pop-up has moved on.

For a Christmas pop-up, this means ensuring your pop-store signage, colour and decor reflects the look and feel of your online eCommerce store. The stronger your branding is, the more buzz you’ll be able to generate online about your pop-up store and your online store. Create mood boards with potential designs for your pop-up store to see which ideas give the look and feel you want. You can read more tips for creating an effective pop-up shop here.

Increasing your online presence with your brand’s unique image leads to increased footfall in your store, which translates into increased traffic and conversions on your site over the Christmas period, even once your pop-up store is gone.

Temporary Christmas pop-up shop in Bournemouth

Promote Your Pop-Up Store on Your Website

Add a banner on your website — A homepage banner advertising your pop-up shop event is a great way for your current website users to learn about the event. You could include a countdown timer to increase excitement and add a sense of urgency.
Write a blog post — Feature the pop-up event in a blog post on your website in advance. You can direct website users here to find all the event details. The blog post can also be shared on your social media channels and email newsletter. It’s also worth writing up a blog post after the event to show off how awesome your pop-up store looked.

Fire out an email newsletter — Many eCommerce websites will have built up a mailing list through email newsletters or subscriptions. Use your email newsletter to let previous customers know about your upcoming pop-up store.

Bonordic pop-up shop promotional banner

Promote Your Pop-Up Store on Social Media

In the run-up to the launch of your pop-up store, post promotional material about the store on your social media channels. Brands with a significant social media following will find the process of promoting and revving up to a pop-up launch a relatively simple job. However, if your social media following is low, there are still strategies you can use.

Create eye-catching graphics — Bold, eye-catching and shareable graphics that you can use on your social media channels are a must. Include location, date and time on the images, and create separate images to promote the ‘exclusive’ products you’ll be selling at your pop-up store.
Create a Facebook event — Facebook events can generate buzz about your pop-up store in the city where you’re basing yourself. After you’ve created the event, brand the page and post images. The aim is to create a well-branded Facebook event for your pop-up that will cause friends and family to invite more friends and grow organically. Use the event page to offer incentives to attend (like a discount or exclusive offer) to encourage this.

Create an event hashtag — A unique hashtag for your event can be used on Twitter and Instagram to keep track of engagement. Use this on all your own posts about the event in the lead-up and document the building of your pop-up store. Encourage shoppers on the day to post pics of themselves and their purchases on the day(s) your pop-up is up and running.
Create a Pinterest board — A pop-up shop inspiration Pinterest board where you pin images of the different products, design ideas, props and other inspirations for your pop-up store is great for brands with a Pinterest audience. This technique is particularly useful for home interiors, fashion and art brands.

Launch part at the New Mayork pop-up store

Involve Bloggers and Social Media Influencers

Contact influential bloggers, vloggers and social media influencers in the area and invite them to an exclusive pre-launch party at your pop-up store. In exchange for an invite and a glass of bubbly, ask the bloggers to write a blog post about the event and ask influencers to post about your brand on their social media channels. Encourage them to take photos of the pop-up store and the products you have stocked there.

Their coverage of your event and brand gives you a chance of tapping into their devoted fan-base. This is a great way to make your business known to new customers and drive more people to your pop-up store and online shop during the Christmas period — not to mention that backlinks to your website from bloggers and online new sites will improve your website’s SEO, too.

Activities at the New Mayork pop-up store

Involve the Local Press

I’m not usually one to recommend press releases, but pop-up shops make great fodder for local press. Write up a press release about your pop-up store and shoot it over to local news websites and papers in the area where the store will be, along with an invite to the pre-launch party. Pop-up shops are on trend and make for great local news articles right now. If you get featured online, you may also be able to gain valuable links back to your website, too.

Are you an eCommerce startup or small brand?

If you’re a new business or small brand and are unsure whether a pop-up store would be worth the investment, here’s a bonus tip. Pair up with other businesses in the local area to and collaborate on a pop-up store together.

If you’re an eCommerce store owner without an online presence in a specific area, you might decide to work with a brick-and-mortar store in the area to make sure your shop gets local advertising from them. If you only sell a few items, pairing up with another store is a great way to make sure your pop-up is fully stocked. You may even just pair up with a local caterer or foodie business for the launch party to gain them some local press coverage alongside your own business.

With effective online marketing of your Christmas pop-up store, your brand will see the benefits long after the snow has melted. Try using these strategies to market your pop-up store online this Christmas and enjoy the results that will give your business a jumpstart into the new year.

Author Bio: Charlie Marchant is head of digital PR and content marketing at Exposure Ninja. Charlie has years of experience providing eCommerce digital PR consultancy to companies, helping them convert the clicks they’ve been leaking into successful sales.

The Retail Revolution- Pop-up shops now popping up in Shopping Centres

We are in the midst of a retail revolution. Customers are demanding more experiences and unique offerings and less of the department store feel. Out are the stuffy, basic shopping centres and in are the exclusive shops providing particular experiences and technology immersion. Anchor stores, a once coveted spot, are left vacant, forcing shopping centre owners to re-think their strategy and work to fill the empty spaces piling up. It’s a fight to stay relevant and impress shoppers with innovative experiences.

This last year has seen several announcements of middle to large department stores closing from the likes of Macy’s, GAP, and Office Depot. Even luxury brands such as Michael Kors are pairing back their store counts, realizing that overexposure does not always equal more profit. Shoppers no longer want the standard department store or luxury shop that can be found everywhere in the world. The allure of a luxury brand is exclusivity but if it’s too accessible, it loses that appeal. This movement is causing centre owners some financial pain. Shopping centres in the UK have seen a 2% drop in footfall since July of 2016. Shoppers are bored and as we are currently in a mostly trendless season, they have little incentive to go to a mall to fill their closets with things they already have. Shopping centre owners must find other offerings to bring customers back in and keep them.

http://www.retaildesignworld.com/news/article/5795ec341a94e-new-store-with-pop-up-space-coming-to-the-barbican — Barbican in London

In a move to encourage pop-up shops to rent with them, big shopping centres such as Westfield Corp. and Simon Property Group are building “white box” stores. These stores will have a simple interior, able to transform for each brand that sets up there. These shopping centres in particular are allocating 5% of their leasable space to these places. Centres in Asia are doing even more to cash in on the pop-up store popularity. Hysan Bay in Hong Kong has hosted everything from a Nespresso pop-up shop to yoga classes hosted by Lululemon in an effort to get more people into the mall. Shopping centre owners are seeing the investment possibilities of these temporary shops.

People queue in a line at a Nutella pop-up shop in Hong Kong, China, on Thursday, Aug. 11, 2016. Photographer: Anthony Kwan/Bloomberg

These pop-up shops are changing the “shopping centre experience”; breathing new life into an old concept. Many shoppers are tired of seeing the same concept luxury brands everywhere as they have oversaturated the market, making what was once exclusive so interesting. As well as welcoming back the once regular shoppers, pop-up shops are bringing in new clientele. The Kanye West pop-up shop in Northbrook brought customers from out-of-town that normally wouldn’t even be in that city, with attendees claiming they had driven quite a distance to get there. Rotating pop-ups encourage shoppers to keep coming back to see something different. We’ve seen successful examples of these shops for both well-known and obscure brands, each approaching the concept in a different way. As rent prices and vacancies go up, we are sure to see more of these strategies in use.

Pop-up shops changing perception

Pop-up shops are often thought of as a trendy way for Indie brands to get their name out there on a tight budget, but that isn’t always the case. More and more we are seeing big name brands using pop-up shops to their advantage. While lesser known brands may use pop-ups to sell inventory and increase awareness, bigger brands are using them to provide customers with a unique experience, educate, and possibly change perception of their brand. Household names like eBay, Kate Spade, and Adidas are using pop-up shops to entice millennials with experiential shopping and some companies are using pop-ups to change customer perception of their brand.

Fruit of the Loom recently did an experiment with a faux pop-up shop to show how much consumer’s perceptions matter. The underwear retailer created a fake brand, “Früt”, and displayed the brand as an upscale lingerie company. Only at the checkout did the company reveal to customers that the underwear they were shopping for was the low-cost, packaged, Fruit of the Loom. The goal was to show consumers that it’s what’s inside the package that matters. Fruit of the Loom was able to show that regardless of the fact that their product comes in packs of five and can be found at discount retailers, the quality and look could be mistaken for an expensive, high quality department store brand.
Chobani is another example of a brand that used a pop-up to change customer perception. They found that while Europeans consider yogurt an ingredient for any meal, Americans only use it for breakfast. In order to change that perception, Chobani opened a café as well as several pop-up shops, that featured sweet and savoury meal choices using yogurt to show that it can be an ingredient used for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Their website even has recipes presenting new ways to use yogurt in your meal plans. In changing the way Americans think about yogurt and its many uses, they not only change perception but increase sales within its current customer base. For the largest seller of Greek yogurt in the United States, it’s a clever way to increase sales.
www.newyork.seriouseats.com
European grocery chain, Lidl, was having trouble convincing customers that although they were a discount retail chain, their products were high quality. Consumers usually believe that you get what you pay for, high quality equals high prices, and their opinions were reinforced by the bare bones customer experience Lidl provided. To change this, the grocery retailer launched a pop-up restaurant, Dill (an anagram of Lidl) , in Stockholm for three weeks. Michelin star Chef Michael Wignall was in charge and ingredients only found from a Lidl store were used. The mantra, “good food doesn’t have to cost more”, manifested and became the theme for the pop-up. The restaurant was a hit and fully booked from day one. Consumers started to speak positively about the restaurant and the company, resulting in a change of perception of the goods Lidl sold.

Because a pop-up shop can be used as an educational format, it is an ideal outlet for changing the way customers think about your company. Pop-ups use the five senses to engage customers and can change their opinion through unique experiences. A study found that 74% of consumers have a better opinion about a brand after an in-person event, such as a pop-up shop. When faced with a perception issue, try using the “show don’t tell” approach with a pop-up.

Five Reasons to go Pop-up

It’s a scary question for all brands just starting out, “What’s next?” You’ve had a successful run with online sales but it’s time to think about expanding and growing. Then the headaches come. “How much will rent be?” “Can I afford a place with a large footfall?” “What if I pick the wrong neighbourhood?” There are a million ways to go wrong and run your successful business into the ground. A pop-up shop is a great way to expand your business!

What are the benefits to doing a pop-up shop?

Save rent money – Pop-ups allow you to rent out a space for a temporary period of time, saving you money by not being locked into a contract. With a cheaper rent, you’re able to spend your budget on creating a unique experience for your customers. Both brand and landlord can benefit from a pop-up store. Filling a location that isn’t making the landlord any money can be very helpful while they look for a more permanent resident.
Test out different locations/New variety of customers – Not all neighbourhoods are created equally. Researching locations and neighbourhoods is always helpful but sometimes reality doesn’t reflect the google description. Your hipster brand most likely won’t fit in too well in the family oriented neighbourhood. Aren’t you glad you only rented the venue for the weekend! What better way to test the perfect location than to experience it first-hand?
Shop sharing – For those brands that don’t need a full space, shop sharing can be a great option. If you have a small amount of inventory, a few shelves or a corner of a store is more than enough space. Shop sharing can also expand your customer base by introducing your brand to people who are already shopping in your shop share location. You may also find the perfect brand pairing. Your wine tastings may be just what the customers in a specialty olive oil shop are missing. Pairing brands can help you find synergy with other companies and could lead to future projects together. Shop sharing is also great because you have built-in employees. Being present in the store every day isn’t always a feasible option, but through shop sharing there is someone ready to run the store.
The Dry Goods Store London, UK
Meet customers in person – Emailing can only get you so far when it comes to getting to know your customers personally. There’s value for brand owners to have face to face interaction with customers and allowing those customers to interact with the products in a way they can’t experience online. In store shopping is all about the human experience. Ninety-four percent of total retail sales are still generated in brick-and-mortar stores and having a physical presence could help drive business to your online store. It’s a great way to market and advertise your online business in a simpler and less expensive way than online advertising.
TopShop pop-up from Covalent Marketing
Create an urgency – What makes you click “order cart” faster than seeing the sale ends at midnight or the store is almost out of stock? A temporary shop creates that same urgency to purchase or attend. Nothing is more exclusive or sells tickets faster than having a supper club available for just one night. Customers are experiencing a once in a lifetime event and creating that fear of missing out is sure to bring crowds.

Wondering how to get started? We Are Pop Up provides the ability to book full locations, shop share locations, and enables brand-to-brand communication. Register your brand or location at www.wearepopup.com and get started on the pop-up of your dreams!

That’s A Wrap: The Store(y)telling Gift Shop, NYC

Over the past two weeks, We Are Pop Up joined forces with Parasol Projects, Creative CNTRL and Retail Access to create and curate a flash gift shop in the Lower East Side. And the clincher? From ideation to populating the space, the crew behind this pop up executed it in a single week. Entitled “The Store(y)telling Giftshop” the activation featured 15 of New York’s freshest brands:

St. Ash Of Brooklyn, Proper Assembly, Martenero, Dirty Grl, March Caps, Thursday Finest, ETape, Hickies, Beltology, Lulu Krause, Gemela, Loop De Loup, Baron Nahmias, Little Treats Brigadeiros and MDSolarSciences.

The gift shop was an exploration in real-time visual merchandising; the entire experience featured a selection of curated stories that tied every brand into their narratives. On the pop up’s second day, we hosted a panel discussion at Projective Space at Freemans, where all the operational crew and all of the involved designers met to discuss the future of creative retail, and how traditional retail models have evolved into something more meaningful, bespoke and engaging.

Check out photos, and drop us a line if this inspires you! And check out We Are Pop Up’s list of NYC brands and spaces.

freeman's — The pop up’s designers and operational team during the roundtable at Projective Space at Freemans.

Come out and support Small Business Saturday

Whether you’re a small retail shop or restaurant or someone looking to do something this weekend, get involved with Small Business Saturday this Saturday, 6 December. With medium and small-size businesses making up over 99 percent of all UK businesses, shop local this Saturday and support small businesses.

What is Small Business Saturday?

Now back for its second year, Small Business Saturday is a UK-wide, non-political and non-commercial campaign looking to promote small businesses and encourage consumers to support and ‘shop local’ within their own communities.

Many businesses that consist of emerging artists, designers, and chefs are shaping the future of the high street and here at We Are Pop Up, we work with hundreds of small businesses to launch their pop up every day. Here are a handful of shops popping up this week that we definitely suggest you check out.

Brighton Fashion Week’s Christmas pop up

Brighton Fashion Week just launched its first pop up store, teaming up with upcoming talent to help shoppers find their perfect one-of-a-kind Christmas gift. The boutique, featuring over 35 national and international emerging designers, artists, makers, and creators will be selling clothing, accessories, homewares, and greeting cards.

Lizzy Bishop, Director of Brighton Fashion Week says: “After the success of Brighton Fashion Week 2014, the next logical step in helping to support the immense talent at the catwalk shows was to provide a space where people can try and buy the outfits”

Visit them at: 12 Meeting House Lane, South Laines, Brighton, BN1 1HB.
Opening times: 28 November 2014 to 6 January 2015
To pop up at Brighton Fashion Week Christmas Pop Up go to: https://wearepopup.com/pr/brighton-fashion-week-faq/

The Dandy Lab pop up

Step up your shopping experience and visit the world’s first talking store, the Dandy Lab, a new gentleman’s lifestyle store enhanced with new technology to make shopping more interactive and personalised. Shoppers can now get recommendations and styling tips, tailored to their individual tastes with smart mannequins and interactive digital plinths.

Browse through British menswear brands such as Hetsch Man, Alice Made This, and Cherchbi and try out this brand-new and memorable Christmas shopping treat.

Visit them at: 9 Earlham Street, Seven Dials, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9LL.
Opening Times: 1 December 2014 to 13 January 2015.

Petit Miracles Hub pop up

Petite Miracles Hub is home to small businesses with entrepreneurs and creators coming together to not only build their own entrepreneurial skills but also to showcase their one-of-a-kind pieces from recycled candles to handmade jewelry.

Experience a different way of shopping by learning first hand from the makers themselves. They offer more than just shopping too. Join the business retail hub as they hold workshops, special parties, and a retail theatre for visitors to enjoy.

Visit them at: West12 Shopping Centre, Shepherd’s Bush Green, London, W12 8PP
Opening Times: 4^th December onwards
To pop up at Petit Miracle Hub, go to: https://wearepopup.com/pr/petit-miracle-hub/

Tag: Pop-Up