From the Editor

From the Editor
Pop up, pop out

By Alison Embrey Medina, Executive Editor
May 01, 2009

With the number of store closures in the past eight months teetering on incredulous, retail vacancy rates are high—meaning space, and the dollars that it represents, is available. Landlords have become more aggressive as they try to fill empty store plots, lowering prices and practically giving away what were once prime real estate locations. For those retailers putting store expansion plans on hold until the recession bottoms out, why not take advantage of some of the deals now? The age-old advice of throwing spaghetti up on the wall to see if it sticks has quite possibly run its course in this economic climate, but I pose a new option to you: put up a pop-up storefront in a new center, or possibly a new market, and see how the customers stick. If you can make it work for your footprint, what a great way to gain additional exposure to new or existing customers.

Some retailers have already begun to reap the benefits of the pop-up payout. To help promote it’s PINK apparel line’s collegiate offerings, Victoria’s Secret opened small pop-up stores at universities throughout the country. As part of the traveling pop-up extravaganza, the company sold merchandise, handed out promotional items and collected used clothing as part of its “Recycle Your Sweats” campaign.

While its identity (not to mention financial) struggles have been widely reported over the past few months, I also have to give credit to Gap for its inventive holiday pop-up, which lasted through Feb. 8. Partnering with Pantone, Gap created a pop-up store next to its Fifth Avenue flagship in New York that showcased a bevy of basic Gap T-shirts made in colors from the Pantone spectrum, including an exclusive shirt with Pantone’s 2009 color of the year: Mimosa. When your brand is feeling drab, why not punch it up with a touch of color? Kudos for an innovative partnership that gave customers a reason to remember the Gap brand.

And speaking of bright—literally and figuratively in this case—ideas, how about last month’s “Vitaminwater10 Des10ation NYC” space? In April, fast-growing beverage company Glacéau, makers of the marketing-friendly vitaminwater brand, took to the streets of New York, moving into the former Helio store space on Broadway for 10 days. The vibrantly colored, lounge-like pop-up space (complete with a foosball table) was aimed at promoting the launch of vitaminwater10, a new 10-calorie product line. The temporary store offered free WiFi, a laptop bar, Nintendo Wii stations, DJ booths—and, of course, wall-to-wall refrigerators offering free samples of the new flavors. And the best part? Many of Helio’s fixtures remained in the space, making it easy to create a look of permanence, despite only being open a shade longer than a week.

Also in New York, Jennifer Lagdameo opened a pop-up shop for Ananas Collection, her popular New York-based eco-chic handbag line. Open for a month earlier this year on Elizabeth Street, the temporary shop offered handbags at up to 75 percent off (much to the delight of style-seeking Manhattan hipsters). The pop-up venture was such a smash hit that Lagdameo opted to make the location permanent, opening the label’s first official Manhattan store.

The pop-up shop-within-a-shop (say that three times fast) has also taken precedence, as retailers look to bring new and exciting designers into their merchandise mix—even if only for a limited time. In March, Mishka, an alternative T-shirt and apparel brand, opened a pop-up shop inside high-end sneaker retailer UBIQ’s Philadelphia store. Mishka produced a limited-edition print for the occasion, in addition to selling other selections from apparel to toys and other tchotchkes.

We all remember the likes of Target’s Bullseye Bodegas and the award-winning Motorola (RED) pop-up stores. These brands grasped for the now, hoping for the payoff later. So, instead of waiting for the perfect location (or capital) to set up shop permanently, why not throw up a few noodles and see what sticks? Get out and into the hands of your customers. If you’re pop-up effective, they’ll remember where to find you, no matter where you go.

Alison Embrey Medina
Executive Editor
aembrey@ddimagazine.com