pop up shop Archives -

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.

5 Tips for an effective Pop-up

Pop-up shops offer brands the opportunity to connect and interact with customers in a unique way. Due to its temporary nature, it provide a huge added exposure.

Here are some benefits in opening a pop-up shop:

Test a location: Allows you to try out a space in a specific country, city or neighborhood. You can also improve your concept and product effectiveness.
Build awareness: Create a unique experience and valuable relationship with your customers and invite new ones to discover your brand.
Sell more: The fear of missing out (FOMO), makes a temporary shop more attractive for shoppers’ and can trigger the desire to buy on the spot.
Seasonal appeal: Christmas, Easter, Mother’s Day and all the other festive days of the calendar year where you can provide a service or product to cater to the needs of the target audience at that moment.
Low cost entry level: In order to evaluate if you want to sign a 5 to 18 year lease, it is a good option to try the location for a short period instead of directly investing into a long fixed period. Spots can start as little as 3 euros a day if you want to share space. (Go to Wearepopup for more information).

If you are ready to open a pop-up shop, here are some useful tips:

Establish a budget: considering the cost of setup and what you want to achieve is a vital step in establishing a pop-up strategy. Your budget will define the type of location, format, and duration. If you are SMO or entrepreneur – Crowfunding sites such as Crowdfunder and Kickstarted can give you a way to get funded and provide some buzz around your project.

Determine the budget in accordance with what you hope to achieve by having a pop-up. Is it purely for marketing, branding (non-sales) or do you hope to get a good return on sales? What is the focus? Perhaps a combination of both. Make sure to consider how you would spend your budget on other channels as a pop-up is a media channel as well as a retail location. Consider the price of staff, fixtures and marketing and reason for having them.

Determine the schedule: Make sure to set a specific date to launch your shop. If you are opening a fashion retail shop, you might want to open it on the fringes of a fashion week for example. Scheduling your opening during holidays such as Christmas or Mother’s Day where there are more impulsive buying patterns can also trigger success. Seasons can also play a part, for example opening a bikini shop in the middle of winter may be detrimental, consider the way people shop and the time of year that your product or service may be most suitable. The existence of your shop itself is an event, make it memorable !

Kitchen table project christmas Pop-up shop

Decide on the location: Finding the appropriate location is the most important factor, especially if you do not have a specific target audience. The perfect location provides visibility and footfall simply based on its proximity to a dynamic area. To find the perfect spot, do your due diligence focusing on the demographics, socioeconomics, the other retailers present in the neighborhood, visibility, footfall and vehicle traffic counts.

Consider the type of space:

Shared shop : We Are Pop Up’s Shop Share enables brands and retail spaces to join forces in a collaboration that is mutually beneficial. This new form of pop up allows brands to rent an area within a shop, as opposed to the entire space. In many ways this makes commercial sense, shops get new stock without paying for it, whilst brands get exposure and new customers without the big expense. You can rent a rail, table, shelf or concession, with the ability to get a better location by not renting the entire premises and sharing the costs.

Collective 89 shop share at Camden

Gallery: With their open concept floors, galleries provide a very appealing style and carry a design approach that is perfect for sophisticated looking brands. Public space and cultural venues: You can also set up in gardens, public squares, quays and unused areas. The presence of a monument nearby is desirable for the prestige it confers.

Wind mobile Pop-up shop in Athena

The Oast House in Manchester

Shopping Center: The shopping center delivers massive foot traffic and a large exposure thanks to its location. It gives you credibility and grants you to everyday consumers’ interactions.
Festivals & Fairs: Such marketplaces are full of people that love boutique, unique and personalized apparel, accessories and crafts. They love the idea of supporting grassroots and local companies. They represent a fertile environment for diverse ideas and bold creativity.

Edinburgh Gin Garden during St Andrew Square Festival

Transport hubs: Pop-up shops give brand the chance to reach a very wide audience of waiting passengers willing to test new concepts. Take advantage of waiting time, the time of day that they are travelling, for example, morning rush hour is good for coffee lovers on the run, or small products that don’t take too much time for decision making purchases.

Schiphol Airport and Made.com open branded pop up rooms at the airport.

Made.com opened pop up rooms at the Schiphol Airport

London streetwear brand sets up shop in a subway station toilet

Unusual spaces: urban areas that are abandoned, neglected or under construction present opportunities for brands to invest. They aim to preserve the heart and soul of the original place, while offering unique experiences with an underground spirit.

Boxpark in London’s Shoreditch

Create an experience

Devise a range of goods and services, a topic, anything that might satisfy your target’s interests and needs. Tell a story to empower a unique customer experience that would involve not only the product but the brand and the client. The main goal is to immerse the customers in your world to create a compelling brand experience in order to stimulate their intention to purchase and stay in their mindset in order to follow your brand. Be creative!

The Kitkat Chocolatory in London

Make some noise

Although your shop will be open for a short period, communication must not be neglected. The key to your success is the customer’s’ awareness of your opening. You need to get people excited and get them to plan a visit before you even open the doors. Too late and you risk the potential customers not showing up because the information didn’t reach them on time. Create an event on Facebook, Tweet frequently, establish an email campaign… Long story short, it’s time to create some buzz!
Get a press release out to the media. Create a website to promote your event or a landing page. Find an original title, remind the main elements supported by call to actions buttons, embed a promotional video of your event and, do not forget the social media sharing buttons in order to make it more visible and viral. In short, consider your shop as an event; the novelty effect arouses the interest of the potential customers and brings them right to your place.

To give you an idea, here is an example of a current successful Pop-up Coffee’s social media strategy:

Quaker oats hits east London with Pop-up porridge shop with menus dictated Instagram

With that understanding, you’ve got more than half of the job done. Now, your task is to turn pop-up shops opportunity into success.

Millions of new retail shops

by Nicholas Russell

We walked from the main part of the shopping centre, to the Pop Up Village. We passed clean, orderly stores – shoe retailers, a lingerie shop, a café. Throbbing deep house music gradually replaced the ambient jazz. Crossing the threshold into the village, everything changed.

A store with a giant boom box painted and objects made from retired jeans. Another space had a pastoral forest on the wall, an old leather couch, and a phonograph playing. I looked back at the mall behind, and felt I stumbled on something creative. Truly special and unique…”

Boulevard Berlin
In April 2014, We Are Pop Up launched The Pop Up Village at Boulevard Berlin, in Germany. Boulevard Berlin sits in a pre-war building in the upscale Stieglitz neighbourhood. The name comes from a public thoroughfare through the shopping centre that connects Schloßstraße with Harry Bresslau Park.

Corio – the owner of shopping centre – is one of Europe’s most forward-thinking property groups. Gerard Groener saw early on that the European retail leasing market demands new thinking. Consumer incomes remain under pressure, and brick-and-mortar retailers suffer from the explosive growth in online retail.

From London with love
Working with Corio, the We Are Pop Up team developed the concept From London With Love. Eight independent British fashion retailers coming to Berlin, trading for a few months in one of Berlin’s busiest districts. For the retailers, From London With Love represented the opportunity for British entrepreneurs and SMEs to test continental Europe’s hottest retail market.

When we started We Are Pop Up, it was difficult for London-based small businesses to find short-term prime retail property in London. Foreign geographies were unthinkable. Now, there are over 1,000 short-term retail spaces available in London, and our brands are traveling to Berlin.

The world is flatter
Ten years ago, Thomas Friedman wrote The World Is Flat – a sweeping overview of globalisation.

“In a flat world, where value is increasingly created, and complex problems solved, by whom you connect with.”

In the decade since, software platforms emerged, directly connecting people to create new opportunities in specific sectors. Thanks to AirBNB, the self-catering holiday market now rivals multinational hotel chains. Kickstarter has channelled $1B in funding to independent creative producers. In the last year alone, the price of a BitCoin has increased 10% month-on-month. Furthermore, thousands of other platforms – across every sector – chew away at structural inefficiencies and archaic processes.

The rise of lean retail
In January 2012, Dr. Alastair Moore and I sat in the Crown pub on Monmouth Street, discussing what an AirBNB for retail property would look like. The idea gave millions of brands and entrepreneurs the opportunity to experiment with prime retail spaces, from High Streets to shopping centres. At the time, empty shops dotted every London neighbourhood. Old retailers like Jessops fell, and nothing new rose in their place.

Then, Homeslice’s food truck turned into a Neal’s Yard restaurant. Fashion boutique Wandering Minds started with six weeks in BOXPARK Shoreditch, and now has three stores – two in London and one in Berlin.

Independent brands renew the shopping centre
From London With Love launched on a Thursday evening. Moore and I leaned over a railing and toasted champagne. Through We Are Pop Up, eight independent British brands launched shops in an upscale Berlin shopping centre.

Moore looked around, surveying the village. Compared with the other shops in the centre, our retailers had an artisan quality. Murals painted on walls. Vintage furniture. Products not found anywhere else in Berlin.

“Now this is cool,” Moore said.

Pop up shops rise to the challenge

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…

Pop up stores rise to challenge of reviving retail, says Financial Times

Azteco Opens Europe’s First Bitcoin Pop Up Shop

You’ve probably heard of Bitcoin by now, unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past couple years. For those of you that are mountain-dwellers, Bitcoin is a digital peer-to-peer crypto-currency created by the pseudonymous “Satoshi Nakamoto” in 2009. While the details of how it works can get quite complex, among other things Bitcoin represents an anonymous way to send money, anywhere in the world, with little or no fees. It was with this simple but revolutionary concept in mind that Akin Fernandez created Azteco, a shop where anyone can exchange currency for Bitcoin, and then send that anywhere in the world.

Mr. Fernandez has had an interest in cryptography and the potential for digital currencies since the 1990s, and once he learned about Bitcoin, the future was immediately clear. He’s opened his first Azteco shop in Shoreditch as a demonstrator, customer development centre, and gathering place to find like-minded people to join him. With just a laptop, basic printer, and a table, he is able to operate as an exchange point for anyone to come in and purchase Bitcoin vouchers, which can then be redeemed on http://azte.co for Bitcoin sent directly to any wallet around the world, where the recipient can then exchange back to their local currency. The shop will allow him to interface directly with customers, and in real time incorporate their feedback into his project, with intentions of opening many more shops all over the world, from Europe to Sub-Saharan Africa.

When looking for space to open his first shop, Mr. Fernandez started by trying dozens of traditional commercial agents, but found the whole process “unbelievable, and really quite shocking”, after his numerous phone calls were unreturned, and those who did reply presented him with nothing close to his requirements. He then discovered We Are Pop Up, and quickly found an excellent looking space, 19 Petticoat. We Are Pop Up’s messaging platform allowed him to quickly and easily communicate with the landlord, and in a matter of days he had negotiated a deal, paid for the shop, and received a fully executed license.

Azteco will be open at 19 Goulston St, London, E1 7TP, until February 26. If you want to know more about Bitcoin and how you can take advantage of it as a new way to pay and send money, or just to learn more about the future of global commerce, pay him a visit soon!

Read what the Daily Mail had to say here: http://t.co/GKYqIFToGp

Japan’s highstreet collides with London – The Collectionaires Pop-Up Shop at Saint Katharine’s Dock

On Friday night we stopped by Collectionaires very first Pop-Up Shop currently taking place in Unit G of Ivory House at St. Katharine’s Dock in E1W 1AT. Collectionaires is the brainchild of Skye Xu and Kevin House and launched in April this year. It sells exclusive, very high quality designer clothing from Japanese designers and brands – quality is paramount and the clothes really are beautiful, unique pieces.

Luckily, we were able to pull Kevin aside for a few moments and ask him about the Collectionaires story. A few months back Skye and her friend were talking about launching a new clothing brand bringing Japanese designer goods into the UK market. Skye has a degree in marketing and e-commerce which she has been putting to good use with a range of clients and previously worked at the Financial Times ‘How to Spend It’ Magazine, but dreamed of launching her own business. Kevin has an Information Technology background – specifically energy utilisation – and has been interested in new business models for a while. When he heard what they were planning he was inspired to join in.

Collectionaires has set up as a business using high street retail as a supplementary part of their retail strategy – with a focus primarily on online sales. They will host 4 or 5 pop-up shops a year, showcasing their products and reaching new audiences. Kevin shared a little about their experiences of sourcing the brands in their collection.

In Japan the brands are well known – they are stocked in the equivalent of Selfridges but aren’t yet on UK high streets. Collectionaires want to support a shift in UK perceptions of Japanese fashion brands. They focus exclusively on bringing Japanese designers into the UK market. They understand the import regulations and requirements – and are building an audience for these beautiful products. I love the idea that a start-up retailer is using a pop-up shop to bridge the gap between high end brands in different markets.

They have started with 6 brands for a 7 week Pop-Up at St Katherine’s Dock and have launched their online website http://www.collectionaires.com/

We highly recommend getting yourself down to the pop-up shop to check out the clothes for real – and picking yourself up some little Christmas pressies online or in-store.

www.collectionaires.com/

facebook.com/collectionaires

Twitter @collectionaires

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Tinned Bananas at BOXPARK – go nuts!

Tinned Bananas is a new breed of women’s fashion. We make crazy designs and print them onto stretched fabric to give you a different style of clothing!

Our prints are our own, they are who we are and they are what define us. We take inspiration from raw funk to gritty soul and we fill our prints with untapped energy. One thing’s for sure: their explosive personality will blow your mentality!

Taking the next step in our creative journey we have recently opened our flagship store at the world’s first pop-up mall, BOXPARK.

We want there to be a soulful feeling in everything we do and ensure there is a constant flow of good energy in our work! Here at our pop-up store at BOXPARK, funk is king. We want you to open your mind and bring yourself to life and our store at BOXPARK allows us to do just that!

Our retail space is open for 3 months, from the 1^st November to 1^st February!

During our time at BOXPARK we want to engage with our target audience as much as possible. We will be offering a range of in-store discounts and hosting a number of special events! Customers will also have the chance to purchase exclusive products that are available only to BOXPARK customers.

BOXPARK is a great concept and is perfect for companies like ours! It is simple and a great way for start up brands to find their feet, have fun with their customers and create a buzz around their brand! Owner and founder of BOXPARK, Roger Wade, is a key figure in supporting smaller brands. He is currently leading the battle to reduce business rates in the area, which would give companies a better chance to succeed in this tough industry and ultimately, help rejuvenate our high streets!

BOXPARK is more than a shopping experience. Located in one of the most happening places in East London, it is a society made up of creative ideas that continues to push boundaries, offering customers something new week in week out. It is the start of something new.

We are always listening and looking for the opportunity to talk to people so please don’t stay quiet, come and see some our weird and wonderful prints, visit us at BOXPARK, Shoreditch. x

Tinned Bananas at BOXPARK – go nuts!

Find Tinned Bananas at BOXPARK »

www.tinnedbananas.com

CouCo’s pop-up shop – The creative concept company behind PLAYN Eyewear

Meet CouCo- our new creative concept company:

CouCo: Introducing sustainable boutique brands and a variety of products all of which are handmade and new to the UK. Co-Founded by cousins Lisa and Tess.

“What’s special about CouCo is our hands on approach in selecting the brands we bring on board. We make a point of meeting the makers in person and on location to confirm that we share the same values and principles. This is the only way we can vouch for the products and all that they stand for.” Tess, CouCo Co-founder

CouCo proudly presents: PLAYN– maker of eco-friendly, handcrafted, designer eyewear in collaboration with CM AOX, creators of revolutionary gadget and fashion accessories, which are produced and hand finished in London.

After three successful pop-up shops in East London, including the running of the “smallest shop in the world” they have returned to Boxpark this time for a six-week pop-up shop!

We would now like to share and celebrate the success we have had in the past months and would like to cordially invite you:

Join us for drinks and music by Bailey Intabeats on Thursday 14^th Nov 6pm-9pm PLAYN Eyewear at Boxpark Unit 17, Bethnal Green Road, London E1 6GY

If you can’t make Thursday, no problem come by another day, we will be there till Sunday 24^th November!

Merci,
Lisa & Tess

We interviewed Couco last summer about their pop-up journey.

Read about their adventures in short-term space »

5 Questions with Designer Jumble Sale – Pop Up Shop Interview

What is your pop-up history to date? Where have you been and how long have you been in operation?

I began hosting one-day charity sales during London Fashion Week, popping up at a stunning Edwardian Gothic church in Marble Arch, called The Church of the Annunciation, while at home with two small children. I had worked at VOGUE.com for 12 years, so I asked all my old friends to donate their fashion cast-offs and the British Fashion Council very kindly put us on the London Fashion Week events schedule. I wanted to go back to work once my children had both started school, so I decided to launch a profit-making arm of the business, so that I could also continue to run the charity sales every six months. With my brother’s help, I won my first rent-free popup shop in December 2012, in a competition run by retail agent Farebrother, on Lambs Conduit Street. What a fantastic launchpad! We were lucky enough to be there for 5 months. Next we are taking part in a community project in Willesden Green from 30 May… and then on to Camden.

Why pop up?

I want to communicate a message about the longevity of good craftsmanship, ethical fashion and sustainability in a fun and friendly environment – and rather than expecting customers to come to me, I want to go to them! We aim to pop up in new places every 3 months.

Why did you decide to enter the Collective Competition?

It was a no-brainer: Camden is a great fit for our offering – think Camden, think secondhand clothes; it is a very vibrant street; and Camden Collective and WeArePopup are very good at what they do.

What can people expect to find in the Collective shop during your spot?

The Designer Jumble Sale is a collection of high quality secondhand clothes and accessories, curated by a member of the fashion industry (ahem… *blush*… me). Brands include classics like Schiaparelli, YSL, and Dior, alongside Best-of-British brands like Rupert Sanderson, Bill Amberg, MCQueen and Terry de Havilland. Adam Hill of Retrouvius will be loaning us some fantastic salvaged furniture and Tamsin Flower of beldirugs.com will be showcasing her beautiful vintage Moroccan carpets, too. No neophiles here, folks.

How would you incorporate 300 bananas, 5 tons of golden syrup, and 2 peacocks into a future pop up?

I would commission Hussein Chalayan, Stephen Jones and Jean-Pierre Braganza to help me make something deliciously sculptural out of crystalised syrup and feathers. The bananas would be required for energy. It is part of the Designer Jumble Sale message: a LOT of work goes into these pieces.

A jewellery designer’s pop-up journey – Gimme That Thing

Story #3 – Gimme That Thing – A jewelery designer’s pop-up journey

Amanda Robins doesn’t take no for an answer. She designs jewellery in Manchester, and was trading on Etsy and at local artisan markets. A pop up shop would offer Ms. Robins and fellow artisans to an opportunity to showcase their work, and meet new customers. The process was not easy, and she discovered a variety of friction points along the way.

In the end, her entrepreneurial spirit won out and Handmade Local became one of Manchester’s first pop-up shops. The success of Handmade Local also helped a letting agent secure a long-term tenant for a property which had sat vacant for over a year…

“This March, I ran my own pop up shop, Handmade Local, in Didsbury, Manchester and included the creations of over twenty local artists / designers. I stocked fine art, ceramics, handknitted fashion, retro baby clothes, soaps, lotions and potions, cards, fibre art, craft kits, quirky soft toys and a whole heap more.

“It was open for 5 weeks, a couple weeks longer than I was looking for, but this was the shortest time that the landlord would rent the premises for. A difficult thing for me as the organiser was to find shop contents insurance for that short period. I ended up being covered by a company who specialise in artists’ cover.

Two days before the Handmade Local pop up shop opened:

“This is the shop once it had been dressed:

“The most difficult aspect of this venture was actually finding premises. Pop up shops are practically unheard of in this area and it took me a year to find a landlord or estate agent who was willing to accommodate me. None of them would let premises for less than three years. My shop, which had laid empty for over a year, was viewed via the agent while it was in my hands and consequently it is now being rented out on a long-term lease.

Paris Earrings, Vintage-Style Eiffel Tower Glass Retro Jewelry

“As a jewellery designer I was able to sell my own items and promote the artisan markets that I take part in each month. I now have several repeat customers from the strength of running Handmade Local.”

——

Gimme That Thing

http://www.etsy.com/shop/gimmethatthing

chicitarobins@yahoo.co.uk

https://twitter.com/GimmeThatThing