News

Can Pop-Up And Immersive Retail Save The West End?

Courtesy of Great Portland Estates
Contemporary Artist Luap Teamed Up With Great Portland Estates For An Art Exhibition In A Vacant Retail Unit

Footfall in the West End of London is rising from pandemic lows, but landlords are still looking for innovative ways to entice visitors to their properties. Increasingly, they are turning to pop-up retail or immersive experiences to stand out from the crowd. Here are five concepts that West End and west London owners rolled out recently to give people a reason to come to the centre of London.

Great Portland Estates — The Pink Bear

Courtesy of Great Portland Estates
The LUAP and GPE collaboration at 95 New Bond Street

REIT Great Portland Estates worked in partnership with British contemporary artist LUAP to curate a five-day exhibition based around LUAP’s signature motif, The Pink Bear, in one of its retail units at 95 New Bond Street. The life-sized teddy bear with magenta pink fur was represented through unseen photography, paintings, installations, sound and film during a five-day exhibition in October.

Westfield London — TikTok

Courtesy of Westfield
A visualisation of Westfield's TikTok pop up

Shopping centre giant Westfield set up a 4K SF pop-up in its west London mall dedicated to video sharing platform TikTok in July and August. Creators from the platform with more than 100 million followers held demonstrations around food, sport and fashion in themed rooms.

Cadogan Estate — Anya Hindmarch

Courtesy of the Cadogan Estate
The Anya Hindmarch cafe in Belgravia

In May this year, British fashion designer Anya Hindmarch launched an immersive concept on Pont Street, owned by the Cadogan Estate in Belgravia. The Village is made up of five units, including two stores selling the designer’s clothes, a café, "The Plastic Store" — a space focusing on ways to reduce plastic and cut consumption in fashion — and a "Village Hall" with rotating uses.

The Crown Estate — The Regent Street Edit

Courtesy of The Crown Estate
The Regent Street Edit pop-up store

Westminster City Council, The Crown Estate and New West End Company have launched a pop-up store at 88 Regent Street to showcase six brands founded in the local area that are championing sustainability. The Crown Estate has provided the dedicated space, working with the council and NWEC to create an opportunity for the independent brands to promote their products on one of the most famous shopping streets in the world.

Shaftesbury - Queen and the Rolling Stones

Courtesy of Shaftesbury/Gavsy Media
The Queen pop-up store on Carnaby Street

West End specialist Shaftesbury has looked to the music world to draw visitors to Carnaby Street, its famous retail thoroughfare. Pop-up stores dedicated to world-famous bands Queen and the Rolling Stones opened this autumn.

Continue reading this story with a free account

Log in or register
Sign up for more articles like this
Subscribe to Bisnow's London Newsletters
Related Stories

Furniture Outlet The Dump Is Getting Dumped In Atlanta

Simon Approaching End Of The Road With Struggling Suburban Boston Mall

Chipotle Adding Hundreds Of New Locations Worldwide

Stockdale Capital Partners, Hamilton Lane Acquire Chino Hills Shopping Center For $157M

Bucks County Mall Closing As Owners Prepare Redevelopment Plans

Battersea Power Station Reveals Plans To Double Development Again

New Occupiers And More VC Money Fuel UK Life Sciences Rebirth

Canadian Firm Raises £680M For 6,000-Home UK BTR Push

Orega Completes PE-Backed Management Buyout: The London Deal Sheet

Starbucks Spending $1B To Turn Cafés Into Community Lounges

From Sector-Specific To Asset-Focused: Investment Strategies That Perform Today

The Difference Between Service And Hospitality That Makes A Flexible Workspace A Success