Pop stars
The economics of pop-up shops
Because of exorbitant rental costs, savvy business people are turning to pop-up stores to test the market, run brand-marketing exercises or rapidly move their stock in an exciting environment
It’s the time of the pop-up shop. Rent space for a day or a few months, create some buzz on social media, get a brand to partner with you and voila! You have a vodka garden bar sponsored by Belvedere or a quirky food bar with Flora margarine. The idea of pop-up retail isn’t new. It began in the 1990s and spread across Tokyo, London, Los Angeles and New York City. Because of exorbitant rental costs, retailers were unable to keep long-term leases. So they would rent space for three months to test out a product in a new market or get rid of their stock. The concept has evolved to dynamic brand installations and pop-up bars: hybrids between clubs and restaurants. They’re all around Johannesburg, from The Union Bar which has hopped from Melrose Arch to Illovo and back again to the Play with Oreo and Magnum pop-ups that have appeared in Rosebank and the popular Saturday Neighbourgoods Market in Braamfontein. Union Bar owner Joshua Shifrin wants brands to realise that pop-up stores are jus...
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