Pop-Up Stores and Spaces Continue To Rollout

The pop-up phenomenon continues.

I was at the opening of the Power Plate studio last week.  For the uninitiated, Power Plate is a piece of exercise equipment that's sweeping across Europe and the company wants to have a foothold here in the states.


And what better place than in L.A., the hotbed of fitness and exercise trends. 

The company had a few objectives when they decided to create the studio

1. Create awareness for the Power Plate brand
2. Create a space to experience Power Plate - the media, fitness trainers and the general public all have a space to come to where they can experience Power Plate for themselves
3. Sell Power Plate equipment - the space is a dolled up exercise studio, not a sales store at your local sporting goods retailer (you're not going to find price tags hanging off the machines - that's not what this is about, nor is it their primary goal).

So, what's the buzz around pop-up stores?  Everyone from Warner Brothers, who created a pop-up store dedicated to a relaunch of Tweety Bird a few years back to Target, who has launched several pop-up concepts see them as a great way to extend their brands. 

Even restaurants are getting in the act by opening at airports.  San Francisco International Airport features a collection of local restaurants in the United Airlines terminal.  They're essentially scaled back versions of their bigger brothers that dot The City.  These guys are in the pop-up restaurant business to make money.  The brand extension part of it is just a by-product.



So, are the Power Plates of the world smart to open a pop-up studio?  Absolutely.  It's smart business and a relatively inexpensive way to market your brand to a whole new audience.

THE REAL WORLD RETAILING TAKEAWAY
Pop-ups are here to stay, and are only going to increase in popularity.

From Target's pop-up concepts to mini-boxes, smaller store concepts that Big Box retailers like Staples are opening, pop-ups are an easy, cost-effective way for retailers to extend their reach.

And that means increased competition for all the independent retailers out there.  But not all pop-ups are bad. Sometimes, as in Power Plate's case, they're a great addition as they bring new people into your neighborhood, increasing foot traffic for everyone.

What pop-up concepts are you seeing and what's been your experience with them?

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