Malthouse, whose office covers business and enterprise, has officially launched the flagship outlet which will give hundreds of start-ups the opportunity to get a low-cost taste of one of London’s most iconic high streets.
PopUp Britain is the retail arm of national enterprise campaign StartUp Britain and is aimed at helping to support the high street entrepreneurs of the future.
Speaking at the opening StartUp Britain co-founder Emma Jones said: “We are delighted that the Deputy Mayor has been able to open our shop this evening.
“We’ve been working so hard to make this happen – and we can hardly believe that finally we’re here! It’s looking amazing and we’re sure out tenants will get the best possible start for their high street journey.”
The outlet will offer short-term opportunities to start-ups and micro businesses, which will travel from all over the country to share the space over the next 12 months.
It is part of a pioneering initiative aimed at matching online retail start-ups with empty high street shops. The scheme, which is backed by private sector funding, was piloted by the not-for-profit campaign last year.
The not-for-profit campaign has gathered the help of big business to help smaller ones, just starting out. Campaign sponsor and software accounting firm Intuit has provided its handheld payment to businesses for free, allowing them to accept card payment.
High Street retailer John Lewis has donated its expertise to furnish the entire shop and given free use of its visual merchandisers to give the outlet a dramatic impact – which will give the retail start-ups a great advantage.
Christine Kasoulis, director, brand development at John Lewis, said: “We are working with StartUp Britain on a range of exciting initiatives that support start-ups; by leveraging our expertise and experience, we are delighted to help nurture Britain’s future retailing talent.”
The first businesses in the shop are all run by new entrepreneurs. Each take over a percentage of the cost of the running of the shop, for a two week period, at which point the shop will be handed over to the next crop of businesses waiting to get their chance to test out the market and work on a rotational basis.
The first brands to appear in the shop will be:
- ClicLoc, watchmakers
- Choulachou,
- TheGorgeous Company
- LauraSmith Glass
- TheCocoa Mistress, handmade chocolates
- RainWave, rain-proof chic
- ZoeBoomer, Northern Ireland’s answer to Stella McCartney
- P&CoClothing
- Pinucci,London
To apply for a place go to [ilink url=”http://www.popupbritain.com/apply”]popupbritain.com/apply[/ilink]
