Retail theatre: When space goes vacant, a pop-up can fill the void

The world of the sharing economy is being adapted and disrupted to bring landlords and brands more easily together as vacant spaces are turned into pop-up shops.

Empty spaces are increasingly being used as short-term retail outlets, sites for test marketing and brand awareness events, and showcases to meet customers. The pop-up store concept is a phenomena that first surfaced during the recession, enabling landlords to collect rents from vacant buildings during voids, while waiting for the completion of a sale or for planning permissions to come through.

Retail was a way of life for the daughter of Martin Kelly of the well known Grafton Street men's wear store FX Kelly. Inspired by original disrupter AirBnB, Lucinda Kelly set up her own business, Popertee (https://popertee.com), which brings landlords and pop-up tenants together in a simplified way. "It is about experiential marketing and concept stores," says Kelly. "It is about building an environment in which to showcase brands, tell the story behind it and engage with customers. Many people now shop online, and pop-ups are a way for brands to meet their customers."

For example, online retailer Myshiningarmour.com recently held a pop-up in Dublin’s Clarendon Street for its range of jewellery and fashion items and used using Instagram to promote it.

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Boot camp

Other pop-ups Kelly has facilitated include a House of Peroni Italian beer pop-up last summer on the rooftop of the Andrews Lane car park and a boot camp for Flyefit in conjunction with Veet in the car park of the Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre. “We have a huge demand from the fast-moving consumer goods [FMCG]market and drinks’ brands using offline spaces to create experiences,” she says. “Car brands love the idea of pop-ups, and Popertee is working on two campaigns: a launch of a new car and a campaign to build awareness.”

Popertee recently arranged pop-up cafes in Dublin and Cork for bean king Heinz, which marked the 50th anniversary of the slogan "Beanz Meanz Heinz" by serving customers beans on toast. The company is now working with estate agents who may have suitable premises that can bring added value to the owners. Working on the same concept, Fillit (fillit.ie) was launched last July by Gianni Clifford and John Carroll, who use "spacehunters" to find venues for pop-ups.

“We have a background in marketing and event planning and found it difficult to find the right place for the right client,” says Clifford. “We have been surprised by the number of location scouts using our service for film, television and commercial reasons – but not surprising when you see the range of properties on the books.

“Beside traditional retail outlets , there are shopping centres, stadiums, cinemas, bars, cafes, theatres, a bandstand and pier in Dún Laoghaire, car parks all over the country and even a street in Temple Bar.”

Fillit’s biggest landlord is Tesco, which usually has 70- 100 spaces listed. It is popular for pop-ups because of the footfall. Spaces are rented out for product awareness and sampling, or to local businesses.

Free registration

Both Popertee and Fillit operate on sophisticated websites, on which landlords and potential tenants register free of a charge. Landlords put up details of the property or space they have to rent and a price or indication of a price.

The companies assist them with photographs, pricing and descriptions. The potential tenant searches for what they are looking for and liaises directly with the landlord.

When all is agreed between the two, a licence is drawn up by the companies. (Popertee can provide insurance if required.) There is no expensive drawing up of leases or legal involvement. Fees are paid through the pop-ups and dispersed to landlords.

Fillit charges landlords 5 per cent and tenants 10 per cent of the agreed fee. Popertee charges similar commissions, but Kelly says it will soon change its pricing model.

Arnotts had a pop-up event through mid-June called “The City Is My Garden” in conjunction with the National Botanic Gardens and graffiti artist Maser, who has also painted the gable wall of a Liffey Street premises facing the Ha’penny Bridge. Scrumdiddly’s Irish Ice Cream of Dún Laoghaire now has a pop-up in Arnotts’ front windows selling its famous ices until mid-July.

As Damien Byrne, the retailer’s head of creative, says: “In an age where you can do all of your shopping curled up on the sofa, it is important to create retail theatre. And the best way of doing this is through pop-ups.”