Returning to the roots of retail: Pop-up retail strategy, connecting past with present.

A growing trend in retailing is the use of temporary retail outlets, known as pop-up stores. Pop-up stores are retail spaces that open and then close within a short period of time. Pop-up stores are said to have started in the early 2000s in New York (Boxall, 2012). Pop-up stores flourished in the UK following the financial crisis in 2008. During this period many British retailers ceased trading or reduced store portfolio size, creating a large amount of vacant retail space. In order to maintain occupancy rates and revenue, landlords and property funds responded by offering short term leases. This provided entrepreneurs with a means of gaining access to prime retail space without the long term risk of lengthy leases.