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Capital city is top of the pop-ups [Western Mail (Wales)](Western Mail (Wales) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) IT BEGAN life in Los Angeles in 1999 and now the pop-up shop market is worth Pounds 2.1bn to the UK economy every year. And, according to the latest survey from economists Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) and communications giant EE, Cardiff is leading the way as more people shop in these blinkand- you'll-miss-them outlets than anywhere else in the UK. According to the study, 73% of residents in Cardiff have visited pop-up shops in the past year, almost double the UK average of 38%. The pop-up sector contributes Pounds 2.1bn to the UK economy each year and is expected to grow by 8.4% over the next 12 months - 2.5 times faster than the traditional UK retail market. Despite this, pop-up retailers continue to face barriers to growth such as high costs, lack of technology and challenges with retail space, which if removed, could push the sector into double- digit growth. An estimated 23,400 people work in nearly 10,000 pop-up shops across Britain, ranging from temporary restaurants and shops to product trials from recognised brands, and the industry is projected to grow nearly 2.5 times faster than the traditional UK retail market in the next year. The latest survey into the sector has found pop-up retailing is most prevalent in Cardiff as vacancy rates are higher in Wales than the rest of the UK which helps to support these ephemeral stores. What is a pop-up shop? A temporary shop, stall or brand experience used to sell goods and services for a limited period of time. It includes everything from market stalls and street food vendors, to fashion shops, galleries, cafes and bars. When did it all start? The pioneer of modern pop-up retailing was Vacant in Los Angeles, California in 1999. The US-based company would sell its products until it ran out of stock, then close and reopen in a different location. Vacant is credited with being the first company to develop the concept of the pop-up shop, however, market stalls and travelling salesmen had been delivering similar experiences a long time before the name was devised. What's the benefit? Newport-based clothing supplier Bedroom Athletics took a unit in the St David's Shopping Centre in Cardiff for 11 weeks from October 2012 to January 2013. The firm's creative director Stephanie Wetter said: "It was worth it for the brand awareness. "We do supply our product into stores such as Office and Treds but not into a store that sells the clothing and the footwear. "We don't have any of our own standalone stores open 24/7." She added: "It was good from a marketing point of view. "We had really good feedback and it was very positive and an excellent marketing opportunity." South Wales dolly brand, Bonnie & Pearl, was named the UK's number one Short Term Retailer Of The Year at the prestigious Sceptre awards for their pop-up shop in the St David's Shopping Centre which ran from November 2013 to June 2014. The pop-up shop has already won the 2014 British Council of Shopping Centres (BCSC) Opal Awards Pop-up Shop/Temporary Lets category and outstanding Aurora Award in April. It was the first retail space opened by the company after it launched online in September 2013. Bonnie & Pearl owner, Nicola Evans, said: "This is the third national award Bonnie & Pearl has won since launching our first popup shop in November last year with St David's Cardiff. We are delighted that the vision and execution of our dolly brand continues to be appreciated by both the retail industry and our customers. "This is just the beginning for our hard-working team, as this summer we take our pop-up shop on the road and plan for expansion into wholesale." Why Cardiff? St David's Shopping Centre has been home to 12 pop- up shops in the past 12 months and centre director Steven Madeley said talks were under way with potential tenants to take units this Christmas. Mr Madeley said: "It has to be new, it has to be different and it has to complement what we are already doing. Pop-up shops have been a part of St David's for a number of years. "We see them as an opportunity to give new businesses and local businesses a leg up and an opportunity to start trading and see how things work. "Recently a number of businesses have had an online presence and chosen to open a unit in the centre." Richard Lim, head of business information at the British Retail Consortium (BRC), welcomed the latest research into the pop-up market and said: "These figures demonstrate the important role pop- up retail is playing in the UK economy, but we're only at the beginning of this pop-up revolution. The novel use of these temporary spaces showcases the innovative nature of UK retail which continues to adapt to consumer demands and structural changes occurring throughout the industry." A campaign has been started by EE, the BRC and Appear Here to help 3,000 entrepreneurs set up pop-up shops over the next three years. Mr Lim added: "This campaign is seeking to do the much-needed job of removing the barriers that are holding pop-ups backs from their true potential." Barriers identified by the CEBR and EE survey to establishing a popup shop tend to be linked to a lack of long-term investment in technology due to the temporary nature of the store or idea. According to the survey: "In the pop-up retail environment technology needs to be easily portable and inexpensive enough so that a shop just opening can obtain the devices needed to sell and market their goods, with the ability to close the store and re-open in a different location without too many added costs from their initial investment. "In a traditional retail environment risks to technology can be reduced by substantial investment in IT systems such as the hardware and broadband. "However, many start-up pop-up shops do not have the money to invest in expensive hardware." (c) 2014 ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved. |