The shop is part of the national expansion plans of PopUp Britain, the retail arm of enterprise campaign StartUp Britain. It aims to help small local businesses get high street experience via empty shops.
Since the campaign opened its first shop six months ago, it has helped more than 70 independent online British businesses get a taste of the high street.
StartUp Britain co-founder Emma Jones said: “We are delighted to be able to take our first steps outside London. Watch out for many more coming soon.
“Our first pop-up shops have provided small businesses opportunities they wouldn’t otherwise have had. And 91% of them said the experience had been good for their business.
“Because they share the cost and the space we offer on a short-term basis, they can take advantage of an affordable and manageable opportunity to make sales, test the market and meet customers face to face.
“Our experience shows that new businesses are starting out small and online. That’s why a short-term opportunity like this works so well for them.”
Geoffrey Berger, managing director of Old Market Way, said: “Old Market is delighted to be playing host to PopUp Moreton. We regard this project as a great way to support and encourage new business during difficult trading periods, and we sincerely hope that it will provide a platform to launch the local companies of the future.”
PopUp Moreton will be open for eight weeks, from Friday 1 February to Friday 29 March (Easter Friday). During that time, 12 companies will have the chance to spend two weeks each in the retail unit in Old Market Way, with three companies sharing the space at any one time.
In return for a fee of £100 (to include rent, insurance and Wi-Fi access to enable people to carry on working while in situ), each company will be able to spend two weeks trialling a physical retail space, generate marketing buzz and raise the profile of their products and/or company, gain invaluable customer service experience, and test the market through a low-risk and relatively inexpensive method.
