Pop ups are now a mainstay of retail life, said the Financial Times this week. They asked our CEO Nick Russell to estimate the number of pop up shops in London. Read his reply and the FT’s take on the rise of the pop ups…
Dr. Alastair Moore was invited to Downing Street this week for the launch of Lord Young’s second report on supporting small firms in the UK.
Here at WAPU we (obviously) think that new “pop-up” models of retail – longer than an event and shorter than a lease – play a very important role in regenerating the UK High-Street. It was greatly encouraging to see our contribution recognised in the report, along with partners Pop Up Britain and Popupspace.
“For online businesses, a pop-up offers them retail experience to raise their brand profile, test products and prices and have direct contact with customers, all with minimum financial commitment.”
The report goes on to describe the “early pioneers” striving to improve the model and enhance the experience for others. For example, wonderful new brands like NANUKK. Sarah McLeod said, “when you work alone and online, you never get the feedback – it was wonderful to hear that what I was doing on my own wasn’t crazy and that people actually liked my product and were prepared to buy it”
We are looking forward supporting many great new brands in the future! You can read more here.
What is the future for retail real estate in 2013 and beyond? MAPIC Vision #9 look at four trends from 2012 that have the potential to strengthen bricks and mortar shopping, but only if retailers and shopping centres are prepared to look at their business model.
Just when you were beginning to think that online retailing would take over the world here we discuss a range of new digital initiatives that keep retail estate fresh and up-to-date:
– How customer service has reached new levels of sophistication
– How pop-up retail has developed from old fashioned market stalls to truly surprising and profitable elements of the retail spectrum
– How mixed use can take on a new meaning with the addition of culture to our shopping habits
– How bricks and mortar retailers are bringing the digital revolution into their stores; innovating and developing ways of enhancing the retail experience to offer more than online or traditional retail alone
Peter Clucastalks popups with WAPU’s own Dr Alastair Moore with other great insight and contributions from APSYS, EKKi, CLEAR CHANNEL – and our favorite pop up specialists Pop-It-Up.eu
The full article can be found here.
