Chocolatier and artisan baker Cocomaya is opening a pop up shop in time for Easter at London Heathrow’s Terminal 5. The shop will sell a range of delicious morsels such as cakes, pastries, sandwiches, chocolate bars and truffles alongside hot and cold drinks.
The pop up space within the terminal is designed to bring small artisan brands into the airport. Cocomaya is the first retailer to launch int he space and will be open until the summer.
Trading for just over three months, the Made in Northamptonshire pop up store in St Giles Street, Northampton is still going strong. Helen Senogles, who oversees the project, explained: “We opened two weeks before Christmas and we have the lease for nine months. It is a showcase for all local artists, designers and crafts people.”
a\The project has been supported by a range of groups which includes Creative Northants, the University of Northampton, the Business Improvement district and the Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership
Helen said: “Creative Northants put out an advert two weeks before Christmas and we have had more than 200 artists and designers already. We took that down to 40 for the first month and since then we have taken on more artists from across the county – Wellingborough, Kettering, Corby – and they have all sorts of skills, from contemporary to traditional. There are so many different artists and so many different people producing things in the county.”
She added: “We had an amazing Christmas and smashed every target and, now we are growing to accommodate different targets, we are holding drop-in sessions with Creative Northants. We have until August and then we will have to see how the project develops from there.”
Bristol based Parsons Bakery has revealed that their temporary site in Bedminster, which opened on 15th December, has been trading at a profit and the company now wants to continue operating the shop.
Parsons Bakery is a family-run chain of 34 retail stores. They were originally approached by Community Regeneration Group Way Out West to open the pop up.
Nick Parsons, Managing Director at Parsons Bakery, said: “The Group surveyed the surrounding residents to see which stores they valued the most and would like to see reopen on their high street, and a local bakery came in at the top of their list. So the Community Group asked any local landlords who had empty properties if they would be interested in letting for a pop-up shop.” He added that his company could not justify spending its normal new store refurbishment costs of £70,000, but set a £5,000 budget to transform the 250 sq ft shop.
Parsons explained: “The store has a limited product range which features all of the normal bakery classics…but has just a few options in each category so we can offer all our ‘best sellers’ and also minimise any waste. We were clear and honest from the outset that this pop up had to generate a profit and was not a charity cause. We have been delighted with the results. The store trades profitably and above our initial expectations, and we are exploring all options for continuing at the site after the three month period runs out. The local residents love having a baker back on their street and have been very supportive – at the end of the day if they use it, it will stay trading.”
We hear a lot about support for startup companies wanting to trade from a pop up store. This is a great reminder that established businesses can benefit from the pop up model and play a really important part in regenerating our high streets in doing so.
The Corner House – an empty office in Market Place, Braintree – is to be let out to entrepreneurs to set up temporary pop up shops. The premises will be let out to new tenants every 12 weeks under its new name, ‘The Egg’.
For only £75 per week (which includes rent and utilities), the business will benefit from not only space but advice and support from Braintree Council’s Town Team and the Ignite Business Advisory Service.
Any interested parties should contact amy.pitt@braintree.gov.uk for more information.
30th March sees the launch of a temporary cake shop called ‘Sacred Tarts’, featuring creations from Nicola Shipley of Tattoo Cakes. The shop will feature cake Popes, cake truffle eyeballs on a plate and a representation of St Lucy. Other contributors include Francesca Mattea and Laura Edwards of Mama Jamma Cakes.
Carla Connolly, Assistant Technical Curator at the museum and creator of the Sacred Tarts event, said: “Easter eggs are always well received, but are pretty boring when you know you’re going to get them every year. The Sacred Tarts team will be busy over the next six weeks coming up with some pretty exciting alternatives – from crystal sugar crowns of thorns to butterscotch crucifixes and edible saints.”
Designed to highlight ‘the darker side of religion’, the show is free to enter, open from 11am to 6pm and located in Barts Pathology Museum in the Robin Brook Centre, West Smithfield, London.
For the first time in 115 years, prime estate agency Harrods Estates will be showcasing their property in possibly the most famous shop window in London.
The pop up will run until 2nd March and will be in the Harrods window on the corner of Old Brompton Road and Hans Road.
This collaboration between Harrods’ interior design service, The Studio, and Harrods Estates is designed to show off the ‘complete home solutions’ offered to buyers and marking a return to the estate agency’s roots. Shirley Humphrey, Director of Harrods Estates, said: “There is no more popular window in the capital and we are delighted that we can showcase some of London’s most high-profile residential developments and houses to the international market.”
Forest Hill becomes an essential destination for fashionistas from 15th-19th February, as the team behind the SEE3 pop up shops stages ‘Forest Hill Fashion Week’.
SEE3 is one of Boris Johnson’s London Portas Pilots, which was awarded £300,000 in order help revitalise high streets and promoting job creation in Lambeth and Tower Hamlets. Lewisham Council is providing an additional £137k to help rejuvenate the areas high streets with new street markets, start-up opportunities for new businesses and creative exhibitions. The aim of the team is to provide a springboard for businesses to trial their propositions in the high street and to stimulate long-term demand for empty shops. With The Butchery, who had a pop up shop at Christmas in Forest Hill, opening the doors of their permanent shop later this month the team have a pretty good record at bringing businesses to the high street that meet the needs of the community.
Louise Brooks, the Project Manager tasked with delivery of SEE3‘s pop up shop programme ‘The Shop Revolution’, said: “Forest Hill has become a hub for designer-makers and fashionable boutiques in recent years and so it is an ideal time to stage a celebration of local design talent and style. And of course the event will see the opening of our latest pop up shop SEE Boutique on Dartmouth Road with pop up tenants Love Ur Look selling their fabulous reproduction vintage outfits.”
With collections from local designers at Forest Hill’s boutiques, in-store events, textile and accessory workshops, fashion and jewellery upcycling, frock-swapping, markets, catwalk shows (including a dress-up catwalk for children) there will be something for all ages. For a full list of events taking place during this festival of local fashion interested you can visit www.see3.co.uk/fhfw.
Launching this week is the first pop up shop managed by PopUp Britain outside of London. The pop up is based in Moreton-Marsh in Gloucestershire and will offer 12 small businesses the chance to trial their companies in a retail space.
StartUp Britain co-founder Emma Jones has indicated that this is just the beginning of PopUp Britain’s national roll out, stating: “We are delighted to be able to take our first steps outside London. Watch out for many more coming soon”.
Swatch opened a pop up project store on 26th January on Oxford Street, London, featuring the brand’s Spring/Summer collection and a new campaign to launch the newest addition to their collection. The ‘True Love Has Nothing To Hide’ campaign is up and running and the store features a Swatch kissing booth and Swatch cupids to celebrate the launch of A La Folie.
There will be competitions for visitors to win watches, and from 15th February the store will also host a variety of live art projects to showcase talent and creativity.
For further information see http://shop.swatch.com/gb/en/Home.aspx
With the first of their pop up shops appearing at Hampton Manor, West Midlands on 17th March, Rock My Wedding are putting together a boutique of all things wedding. It includes pieces from their own AW12 collection as well as from DC Bouquets and Shoes from Harriet Whilde.
Pop in to see them if you are a blushing bride to be and see if you can find something to rock your world!