We set up temporary stores for sole traders to sell their wares – it can help fix Britain’s broken high streets, says Pop-Up Club founder

“We’re trying to make the best of a broken system,” says Tillie Peel, founder of The Pop-Up Club, a company on a bold mission to save and revolutionize the high street.

‘The costs involved in having a retail space are insanely high.’

The Pop-Up Club was founded in 2017 to provide new retail businesses, mostly sole proprietorships, with a physical space to sell their wares.

It will help remove many of the unaffordable costs associated with the sector, as we work with landlords to fill ’empty, dilapidated or difficult spaces’ and bring life back to the high street.

But The Pop-Up Club came into its own in the wake of the pandemic when one in seven shops and one in five shopping centers were left empty, reflecting the massive damage lockdowns had done to the retail sector and the UK Kingdom. main Street.

Many will remember friends and relatives’ short-lived passions for artisanal baking, knitting and pottery during the pandemic, but for some Britons this developed into a full-fledged business venture, providing a target market for an aspiring Pop artist. Club up.

“We had a huge influx between lockdowns,” says Peel.

“We grew by about 200 percent in six months – it was crazy.

“We had a long-term store in Chelmsford, a big community town, and no one was commuting because it was a time when everyone was working from home.

‘Locals wanted to support small businesses and buy more consciously, rather than going to a high street brand that they can find anywhere.’

The Pop-Up Club Victoria: Peel’s company finds empty retail spaces to use as marketplaces for sole traders

Two years later, The Pop-Up Club has now established nearly 30 physical marketplaces – each lasting six weeks to a year and hosting a variety of different sellers.

It claims to have made £1.3 million for its traders and brought new life to the areas in which it operates.

“It started with me pretending to be someone’s PA,” laughs Peel, now 30, recalling how she convinced then-skeptical landlords and local authorities to back her fledgling concept.

‘I then just tried to get into the room and slam the door open so no one would listen to me.

“Eight years now, I feel very grateful to be in a position where we have (landlords) contacting us.

‘We’ve just opened in Hammersmith – in the shopping center opposite Ikea – and also have one opening in Waterloo.’

From hobby to high street retail

Some of the post-Covid boom has stalled, with lockdown-sapped Britons’ savings eroded by inflationary pressures, workers returning to normal commutes and many aspiring traders returning to full-time work .

But The Pop-Up Club is still thriving and has a number of success stories.

“As a company we are actually still in the incubator phase,” says Peel.

‘But we’re seeing brands we work with opening their own spaces – a brand called Isle of Avalon who have a long-term lease in our old pop-up and they were one of the first brands we worked with in the first pop-up in Brighton .

“It’s great to see the impact of our support, the knowledge and experience we’ve provided, continuing to help them grow and scale their business.”

Locals in areas where The Pop-Up Shop operates are keen to support local small businesses

Peel hopes to expand The Pop-Up Shop across Britain and sees consumer demand for a market-style shopping experience, similar to that in many cities across the continent.

And it appears major UK retail players are catching on, she says, given the success Marks & Spencer has had in rolling out its store design and Food Hall offering.

“I would like to see a Pop-Up Club on every high street,” she says.

But the barriers to this dream are similar to the barriers that drive merchants to The Pop-Up Club in the first place.

“Our model doesn’t work with all landlords, locations or local authorities because of how much units cost,” says Peel, despite Pop-Up Club’s track record of successfully negotiating cheaper rates with some property owners.

‘And then you have business rates, a completely broken system that has never been reconsidered in modern times compared to 20-30-40 years ago.

“What we’re trying to do is make the best of that broken system and give people a chance in a difficult situation.”

Peel is not the first entrepreneur to criticize Britain’s business rates systems, which have only recently come under fire from hospitality giants and the titans of retail.

The Conservative Party has pledged to overhaul the business rates system in three manifestos since 2015.

But hospitality sector leaders want Labor and the Tories to make manifesto promises to review the business rates they pay on commercial properties such as shops and bars.

The government says it has extended relief, meaning around 230,000 retail, hospitality and leisure properties will get 75 per cent off bills this year, but businesses say this is just a kick in the pants until April 2025 an abyss arises.

Business rates rose by 6.7 percent on April 1, costing businesses in England alone an extra £1.7 billion.

“A review of business rates would play a role in supporting independent businesses and keeping them alive,” Peel said. ‘And make sure they not only survive, but also thrive.

‘It’s a difficult landscape to live in. And many, much larger companies are just barely surviving. That’s why we’re seeing some of these big stores closing or going out of business.”