Use pop-up shops to boost high streets, urges Local Government minister

Showcasing the Government’s first pop-up store at the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) in Victoria, London, Prisk said: “I’m able to stand tall and proud and say we’ve done it and so can you.”

Department store retailer John Lewis helped design and merchandise the Government store and since it opened in December, 18 tenants have leased the space.

The pop-up was set up in partnership with Pop-up Britain, a side project of Start-up Britain, the pop up shop leases space to six small online retailers every few weeks.

The aim is to pull new retailers on to the high street and fill shops that have been left vacant by store closures or retailers collapsing.

The DCLG has been working to revitalise high streets, using Portas Pilot towns to trial out new initiatives to pull shoppers back on to the high street.

Prisk expects pop-up shops to help with this but he said the main barrier is likely to be landlords.“Landlords will need to move away from [their standard tenant] conventional blue chip chains,” he said.

Pop-up Britain opened its first store in Richmond, launched a Christmas pop-up in Somerset House and next store will be in Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucesterthe first one outside of London.