Today marks the 15th anniversary of the modern pop up shop and to celebrate Appear Here has partnered with EE, the UK’s most advanced digital communications company, to launch the Pop Up UK campaign. We are passionate about pop up retail and believe it is one of the most exciting business trends to emerge over the last few years and our Pop Up UK campaign will allow more entrepreneurs and people with big ideas to start their businesses.
To provide UK businesses with a better insight into the opportunity of pop up shops, we've partnered with EE and the CEBR to investigate the UK pop up retail industry, its contribution to the economy and the barriers it faces.
Our research reveals that the UK pop up economy is set to grow by 8.4% over the next 12 months, more than double the growth rate of the traditional High Street. However, it also shows that this growth could be higher if barriers to pop up retailers such as the lack of technology and retail space were removed.
Over the next 3 years, the Pop up UK campaign seeks to help over 3,000 pop up shops with technology and business advice and we are excited to see how many new ideas we can help make happen.
To help boost Britain’s pop up retailers growth and target their key issues, the Pop Up UK campaign features:
Pop up business plan
This is a step-by-step plan to pop up success written by pop up entrepreneurs, for pop-up entrepreneurs. It includes case studies quotes and advice from successful pop up retailers, including Playn Eyewear, Press London, Good & Proper Tea, and the Ribman.
4G Pop-Up Bundle
EE has created the world’s first mobile plan for pop-up retailers. This new bundle targets key technological barriers and helps pop up entrepreneurs overcome them by providing instant connectivity, temporary plan periods and a range of mobile and payments devices.
Mentoring from Ross Bailey
Our very own CEO & Founder Ross Bailey will provide mentoring to selected pop-ups, sharing tailored advice, guidance and top tips.
EE support
There will be an EE helpline and in-store staff who will be able to provide support on the technology needed to establish a pop-up shop.
BRC advice
Expert advice from the British Retail Consortium for members on how to set up a pop-up shop.
Ross Bailey, Appear Here’s CEO & Founder has commented:
“Pop-ups are the future of retail, and this campaign will go a long way to helping remove the barriers pop-ups are facing every day. Whether you’re a major retailer that wants to try out a new product line, or just one person with a great idea – setting up a pop-up should be as easy as possible. This new Pop-Up UK campaign should help remove technological barriers, whilst Appear Here endeavours to help connect even more pop ups with their ideal locations”
Mike Tomlinson, Director of Small Business at EE, said:
“We’ve worked with a wide range of pop-up entrepreneurs to understand how we can help them achieve their goals. This campaign is built to provide aspiring pop-ups with the instant superfast 4G internet connections, flexible plans and technological hardware they’ve told us they need. By solving these problems we believe we can really make a difference, which is why we’ve committed to helping 3,000 pop-up entrepreneurs open shops over the next 3 years as part of the campaign.”
Click here to access the full report
Sign up for EE’s Pop Up Retail Bundle here