The Rise Of The Pop Ups...

In recent years the landscape of the high street has evolved with consumers seeing a rise in pop-up shops across the UK. A recent report conducted by EE and Centre for Economic and Business Research (Cebr) found that 1/3 of all new start-ups in the UK will occupy a pop-up space by 2017, with the sector generating over £2.3bn in turnover in the last 12 months alone.

It comes as no surprise then that this sector is no longer for the small, independent retailers. Now well established brands are also wanting a piece of the action, with the likes of Tesco, Nokia and most recently Argos “popping-up” across the country. Other well-known brands such as Marc Jacobs and Jamie Oliver have also seen success with their pop-ups, and now an entire pop-up shopping centre, Boxpark, has appeared in Shoreditch, London, soon to be introduced to Croydon, filled with both independents and high street names, such as Gap, STA Travel and The Guardian Coffee Store all taking up lease within the centre.

In recent years the landscape of the high street has evolved with consumers seeing a rise in pop-up shops across the UK. A recent report conducted by EE and Centre for Economic and Business Research (Cebr) found that 1/3 of all new start-ups in the UK will occupy a pop-up space by 2017, with the sector generating over £2.3bn in turnover in the last 12 months alone.

It comes as no surprise then that this sector is no longer for the small, independent retailers. Now well established brands are also wanting a piece of the action, with the likes of Tesco, Nokia and most recently Argos “popping-up” across the country. Other well-known brands such as Marc Jacobs and Jamie Oliver have also seen success with their pop-ups, and now an entire pop-up shopping centre, Boxpark, has appeared in Shoreditch, London, soon to be introduced to Croydon, filled with both independents and high street names, such as Gap, STA Travel and The Guardian Coffee Store all taking up lease within the centre.

Recently, Argos instructed KMS to construct and install their latest innovative digital pop-up situated in Centre:MK, Milton Keynes, offering consumers the convenience of great products purchased through their advanced ordering and delivery service boosting the customers experience whilst building their brand recognition. The store will stay in the centre for 12 weeks during which time Centre:MK is anticipating over 6 million shoppers to visit the in the lead up to Christmas.

Emlyn Cole-Jones, MD at KMS, said: “We’re very pleased to work with Argos on this new popup build. KMS has been a long-standing Technology Integrator for Argos; this build presents KMS with the opportunity to showcase our capabilities, innovative technologies while enabling Argos to achieve its goal of a fully trading popup shop under one contractor within a tight 48Hours deadline. This partnership marks the start of a long-term relationship with Sainsbury’s Argos, which we feel generates tremendous value for both parties”

We filmed the build of the store to see what can be achieved in a small space in less that 48 hours.

The retail sector has been shaken up by the pop-up market, which is now a lucrative way of bringing pioneering experiences to the sector. More recently we have seen a shift in online only stores expanding into the pop-up market. Richard Lim, Head of Business Information at British Retail Consortium says “we’re only at the beginning of the pop-up revolution.” The scope for store development, technology and consumer interaction in this arena is vest, and one which we look forward to continuing to expand our client base in.