Pop Up Shop - Essay Example

Pop up shops Introduction When there are products that come and go, there certainly be shops that only last a little while, bringing to the s, a variety of exclusive, surprising products to its customers. Pop up shops are the key to a perfect promotion and sales strategy in the short attention span world that we live. Everything around us is high speed and we are attracted to change, making pop up stores a hit. It’s a perfect concept for our hype-heavy society. Nowhere can be the hottest place to be seen in for more than six months, so by pulling it down and starting again, businesses can be constantly reinvented. (Barr, 2008). These stores don’t have to invest much and can take risks as they don’t last very long. With the pop up retail hype at its peak, London has become the ultimate pop up retail place, having a large number of businesses following the pattern. Of the many pop up stores that have emerged in the UK, some are discussed here in detail, giving information on where, when and why they opened it. HMV CD/DVD pop up stores During the 2009 Christmas season, a number of retailers opened pop up stores to cash in without a huge investment in establishment and setup; one such store being HMV, the CD and DVD outlet store. They opened 10 pop up stores around Britain to handle to high demand during Christmas. The spokesperson said, "Weve opened some [pop-up shops] to meet the spill over in demand, for example we have opened a temporary store in Bluewater shopping centre [in Kent] to help our permanent store there to cope with the increase in demand." (Hopkins, 2009). The opening of pop up shops is an advantage to both the customers and the retailers. Harvey Nichols food and wine pop up store Another pop up retailer that came around the Christmas time was the Harvey Nichols uptown departmental. They opened a number of festive pop up food and wine stores from November to Christmas eve 2009, being a standalone Harvey Nichols outlet, giving the customers value for money and avoiding the clatter of other product ranges. They opened outlets in Edinburgh, Manchester, Bristol and Birmingham selling over 600 original own label products. (changenation.co.uk). the stores were viewed as a powerful marketing strategy, gaining income over a short period of time. They included hampers and gift sets, as well as traditional seasonal fare and a range of wines. (changenation.co.uk) Vacant pop up store Vacant, an exclusive retail exhibition store which opens only for a month has opened outlets in London, among other major cities such as New York and Los Angeles. The success of this store lies in showcasing products that are not easily available, strictly limited editions products from new designers in limited quantities. Further, not all products on display can be purchased, making the customers look forward to the next pop up exhibition and store. The company is seen to be very secretive about the actions until opened and lets the members know about it through email, only minutes before launch. Vacant believes that pop up stores can be a long term formula to maintaining the interest and surprise factor in its customers. Putney pop up restaurant Some pop up restaurants have used the idea for fund raising. For instance, Jesse Dunford Woods Putney Pop up Restaurant is open in March to raise money for action against hungers work in Haiti. (viewlondon.co.uk). Chefs who are willing to contribute to the fund raising have signed up, including chefs Phillip Howard, Rowley Leigh and Helena Puolakka. They each showcased their dishes for one day, adding to the income. The restaurant was open throughout the month of March and drew in considerable crowd, the food being rated excellent and even affordable. The price ranged from 30£ to 40£ for a person. Customers have expressed a willingness to visit stores that have a fund raising motive, which gives pop up stores a new use. Selfridge pop up store at Oxford Selfridges on Oxford Street has adapted the Alice in Wonderland theme from Tim Burton’s anticipated film. The store has an Alice in Wonder room, having collections from the Alice in Wonderland theme, including items from Johnny Depp’s mad hatter ensemble. The store is a big attraction to customers as it has exclusive window displays, recreating scenes from the movie. The store opened on the 22nd of February and closed on the 14th of March. The store was based on a particular theme and decided to come up with a pop us store since the theme will only be an attraction for a little while. The store did well and those who visited the store were quite impressed. Merci pop up store swapping A different kind of pop up store, which is the swapping pop up store, is a very good idea as it will bring product ranges new to the customer. The Merci pop up store is a high fashion destination that opened a store at Liberty to operate from 8th March to the 1st of April. Now fans can get a dose of French designer chic in Carnaby at the Merci pop up shop at Liberty. (viewlondon.co.uk). it has a number of designer products, giving a number of stylish and chic options to choose from. Further, there is a good feeling to visiting the store as all sales profits will go to charities in Madagascar, providing help and support to the women and children. Conclusion Of the examples of pop up shops discussed here, we see that it is perhaps one of the most popular and successful sales and promotion strategist that have been around. These stores undoubtedly bring in new products, some of them being unique collections. Profitable for the company and encouraged by the customers, pop up stores in UK is gaining popularity by the day and will become a common form of sales over the coming years. The idea of pop up stores that came up in 2004 has now become most common in London and other parts of the UK, proving to be thoroughly successful. The idea of using pop up shops for fund raising and charity is certainly an interesting aspect, making pop up retail a favorable option. Reference Barr, D. (2008). The pop-up shop phenomenon. Retrieved April 15, 2010 from http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/eating_out/article 5388955.ece changenations.co.uk. (2010). Trend: Harvey Nichols pops up this Christmas. Retrieved April 15, 2010 from http://www.changenation.co.uk/blog/uncategorized/harvey-nichols-pop-ups/ Hopkins, K. (2009). Pop-up shops cash in for Christmas. Retrieved April 15, 2010 from http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/nov/13/christmas-marmite-popup- shops viewlondon.co.uk. Putney pop up restaurant. Retrieved April 15, 2010 from http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/restaurants/putney-pop-up-info-62204.html Read More