What is a pop-up store and what is the idea behind?

By definition, pop-up stores are retail spaces that are rented and occupied only for a limited and specific period of time. Retail space that would be empty for a short period due to tenant changes is often used for this purpose. For landlords of retail space, the pop-up store trend provides an additional source of income during such a transitional phase. But this new form of retail trade also offers a lot of potential for companies, designers and self-employed entrepreneurs. Pop-up stores are also often set up in remote sales areas that are otherwise difficult to find occupants for.

Pop-up stores can attract attention to a big brand. New customers can be gained, the sale of new products can be tested in these spaces and publicity can be boosted. Pop-up stores are also a lucrative business proposition for products with a strong seasonal focus. This provides the opportunity to present and sell more products at peak times. There are also no fixed costs during times when specific products are not in such high demand. Whether grills and outdoor accessories, Easter bunny chocolates or Christmas decorations, it provides an additional market for many seasonally-driven products. However, many online retailers also use this growing trend to their advantage because in the long term no company will solely operate an online shop. Even the major online retailers such as Amazon are looking for bricks-and-mortar offline space, and for these retailers too, pop-up stores provide an ideal opportunity to present customers with the tangible products to reinforce brand awareness. The limited duration of the merchandising mix creates an unnatural product scarcity and companies use this situation to try and make the products more desirable. Another advantage of pop-up stores is the fact they are very inexpensive. A combination of not being prime space and creative and affordable interior furnishing results in low expenses. Big media spend is not on the advertising menu, and below-the-line marketing is the promotional vehicle of choice. Word-of-mouth propaganda strongly drives awareness. Insiders and experts of this trendy scene are well informed about the latest locations and spread the word through blog posts and other media.

There are pop-up stores in the whole UK, but only for a limited period. Most of them are in London and Birmingham, but there are also some in other cities:

• Manchester
• Liverpool
• Glasgow
• Leeds
• Sheffield
• Newcastle
• Portsmouth-Southampton
• Nottingham
• Cardiff

What is important when shop-fitting pop-up stores? What are the benefits? Many pop-up stores are furnished with minimalist and improvised furniture. This could be one approach, however, if the pop-up store concept is used extensively by a brand, it will be to its benefit to develop a matching concept in advance. If the shop-fitting concept is being used more regularly and in several pop-up stores, the development of a modular and high-quality system quickly pays off. The modular approach makes good business sense, because different spaces need to be set up in completely different ways. A rigid system of shelves soon reaches its layout limits. Constant assembly and dismantling require good basic stability and quality, otherwise the furniture quickly becomes dilapidated and unusable. In addition, the brand's core value must also be recognisable in pop-up stores.

Modular and functional design is one of the core competencies of ARNO. Based on our years of experience and ideas we know what is important and we take all the important aspects into account right from the beginning. This makes us perfectly prepared for all types of floor plans and on-site environments. An individual structure can be set up in no time; for example, by inserting a smaller, customised header element because of a low ceiling. Do you need short-term, temporary solutions for promotions or product launches but a pop-up store is too big? As a manufacturer of mobile shop-in-shop systems and displays, ARNO is just the right person to speak to. Intelligent design for quick assembly and dismantling by one person, as well as optimised modularity for low logistic and shipping costs are the specifications and requirements that we deal with daily. Safe transport is ensured by using our special packaging for constant and frequent assembly and dismantling.

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