Pop-up shops

With one in ten shops empty on the high streets, landlords and city officials want to revitalise shopping districts. One solution being recommended is to promote pop-up shops, temporary retail locations that 'pop up' for a limited-time. Although applying for and receiving planning approval can be time-consuming and costly, government agencies are looking at ways to cut red tape for businesses that want pop-up space.

The idea makes sense for retailers who want additional store space during busy shopping seasons and for marketers that need to test new brands, showcase specific product ranges or experiment with new formats and services.

From July through September, one pop-up store in London is the only retailer outside the Olympic Park to sell special Olympic products such as pin-badges.

Here are a few other highlights of pop-up marketing:

• Liberty is looking to open a handful of temporary stores for pre-Christmas shopping.
• London College of Fashion is opening a pop-up to sell clothing designed by alumni, 'future design stars'.
• Samsung opened a number of pop-ups around London (see above) to launch its Galaxy S3.
• Ocado opened a one-month pop-up virtual store in Birmingham, inviting customers to use its 'on the go' app to scan products and place orders for home delivery.