The recession has increased competition and has forced retailers to think outside the box. Georgina Smith looks at how this has re-ignited the trend of temporary pop-up stores
High street retailers are finding new and innovative ways to make the most of the economic climate; cue the emergence of temporary or ‘pop-up’ shops. Taking advantage of vacant prime retail units, and constructed and fit out in a short space of time, usually at a low budget, these stores are a perfect way for retailers to increase their high street presence without taking large financial risks.
Pop-up shops can be used as a high-impact extension of a company’s marketing and promotional campaign and their short-term appearance creates a buzz and a sense of the exclusivity. They allow brands to experiment with new store design formats, test out new product ranges and increase brand awareness, whilst delivering a fast return on investment.
The trend of pop-up shops is not a new concept and has been around for some years, usually in the form of pound or discount shops, which have minimal merchandising and store design. In the midst of an economic downturn utilising flexible lease space has become a viable alternative for big named brands, as well as many small businesses, due to the flexibility
it offers.
On the one hand these flirtations with shop fitting take away much of the fit out aspect of a retail space, however more and more pop-up shops are leaning away from the discount store mantra of sell it cheap, pile it high, to much more extravagant, design-led stores that aim to make an impact and require a full design team and shop fitting service. High-end brand Gucci has embraced this concept and set up a temporary store that has been touring major cities across the globe. Gucci Icon-Temporary opened, (and closed) two previous pop-up stores in New York and Miami last year and visited London in April 2010 for three weeks. The store stocked a limited edition trainer collection designed by Gucci’s creative director Frida Gianni, as well as the one off Gucci Ronson design. The store interior was simple and clean, with the interiors coated in a white gloss and an oversized blue and red band that wrapped around its perimeter. The minimalist design, teamed with a small selection of products on show, created a sense of exclusivity and urgency for customers.
Another example of an established brand taking up prime retail space was the Dr. Martens pop-up store in Old Spitalfields Market, London, which was designed by Campaign and opened in September 2009. Turning the current economic downturn to advantage, the pop-up store was in a prime retail location on a short-term lease. The store was designed with a no frills aesthetic, using inexpensive industrial materials, readily available and quick to assemble. Working with creative brand managers Fresh, Campaign combined off the shelf industrial fittings with customised elements to create a shop that looks similar to a warehouse stockroom, an area usually out of bounds to the customer.
Constructed within six days, the interior fit-out of the pop-up store was achieved at a fraction of the cost of a conventional retail fit-out.
Pop-up shops can also open doors for brands without a high street presence, such as e-retailers. Online sports retailer Kitbag has made its first debut into bricks and mortar with a pop-up shop to celebrate the 2010 football World Cup. The 7,000 sq ft store in Manchester’s Market Street will open for 90 days until the end of the World Cup. Kitbag managing director Ray Evans said if the opening goes well, he would look at opening flagship stores in key locations. “Sports retail stores on the high street need to be woken up; they all look the same,” he commented.
Retail design agency Sheridan&Co will be launching Insight in 2010 – an experiment retail space in London for pop-up shops, product launches and trials. CEO of Sheridan&Co, Michael Sheridan commented: “Pop-up retailing is becoming increasingly valuable to brands in pushing sales and delivering insight to brands. It generates awareness amongst consumers and provides brands with a unique stage, as and when they have something to say.”