Online-only sellers are delivering a much-needed boost to the British high street through a growing network of pop-up spaces. Some experts believe the rise of online retailers is to blame for the demise of the high street, but pop-up space specialist Sook, says many online-only sellers are now using short-term physical stores to complement and grow sales and brand awareness.
The company says brands can now rent a space across towns and cities in the UK on a daily, weekly or even hourly basis, paving the way for a high street renaissance driven by online independents. Sook chief executive John Hoyle said: “While many see chain stores pulling out of our high streets as a sign of high street decline, we see it as progress.
"Those generic stores were the product of short-termist and misguided policies and were simply reinforcing mediocrity. What we’re seeing happen now is very, very different. By reimagining our high streets, we can ensure independents have the ability to innovate and effect sustainable change.”
Danielle Mass, 25, founder of Remass, the world’s top seller on fashion sales app Depop agreed. She said: "I’ve always loved selling my own stuff on Depop. It was just a hobby to start with, but I realised its potential when my friends approached me to sell items for them. It has just grown from there.
“Although physical retail will never be a huge revenue stream for us, in the one-off pop-ups we do, we tend to shift quite a bit of stock. For Remass and other up-and-coming online retailers, the high street is not dead. The high street is about cementing our brand even further, meeting new and regular customers and having fun.”
The brand’s two-day residency in Oxford Street, for example, saw the brand use DJ sets, a photobooth and a sponsorship with shots brand Jägermeister and collaboration with super cool UK drinks brand White Claw.
For Nicole Stark, the 19-year-old founder of 90s vintage clothes reseller Glownic, pop-ups are a key part of her sales strategy. She said: "I think we’ve come full circle. While the demographic that Glownic caters for are very dedicated online buyers, they also want to do a day out shopping. It’s a novelty they have not experienced on their own terms.”
The art history and English student at Edinburgh University has used Sook’s digitally-enabled store in the St James Quarter shopping centre to take her brand to the next level. She said: “The nature of Depop means that you have to continue to push to stay on top and pop-ups and events are really important for that.
“If you do stop, another seller can get into your place and you’re back where you first started. The fluidity of the high street means it’s more accessible and that’s important.”
