Magnum has created a limited pop-up store where customers can create their own ice cream, with various toppings and sprinkles to choose from. Tis causes in- credible queues around the block and a spike in mouth-watering photos on their Instagram page. In January 2016, London was overcome


with winter magic as Lumiere London took over the streets. Encouraging resident and capital visitors to get out onto the traf- fic-free streets and enjoy the artistic and in- ventive light displays was a captivating way to inject a bit of fun into the post- Christmas month. In 2018, the lighting experience popped-up again, with more than a million people flocking to the streets. What started as a pop-up event to breathe a bit of happiness in the bleak mid-winter, might become a recurring tra- dition as treasured as Wimbledon or Bonfire Night.


London thing? No, this trend is contagious! In Manchester, Redbankco has set up a ‘pop- up incubator’ specifically designed to help promising restaurants try out their cre- ations on the paying public. Te Corn Exchange has become a key hub for pop ups. Albert Square has also hosted a fair number of events and activities for limited time trials. In November 2017, Left Bank hosted 12 restaurants for 3 days each in a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style competition. Profits


Is it just a


Tapping into the pop-up scene and getting a piece of the action is


good fun. It can place you in an elite group of people who have “been there, done that” and have the social media posts to prove it.


went to Children in Need. Birmingham’s City Centre has also seen


a few pop-up stores, including Square, a payment company created by Twitter founder Jack Dorsey. Independent Birmingham is a card scheme that offers discounts to locations around the city, but also keeps its members in the know of pop-up events coming soon.


How do I keep up? Tapping into the pop-up scene and getting a piece of the action is good fun. It can place you in an elite group of people who have “been there, done that” and have the social media posts to prove it. But it can be disappointing when you hear of something that you just missed, or worse, that it may never return. A pop-up might last a day, a week or a few months, so chances are you will find something and have plenty of time to check it out. However, a high-de- mand item, product or brand might mean that you have less than 24 hours notice. Luckily, the pop-up world isn’t meant to be a secret, thanks to the internet! Before you search through lists of web-


sites and Twitter feeds for things to do, be sure to be mindful of the time of year. Spring, with the weather always in ques- tion, is when the pop-up season kicks off. Summer will bring outdoor markets and


leisure activities. Autumn and winter will see Christmas markets and shopping op- portunities. New products are launched throughout the year, and with a temporary shop becoming a trendy way to promote to the masses, you’ll see more and more of this type of marketing. Boxpark (www.boxpark.co.uk) is where pop-ups go to simmer. Tey can stay in residence here for a while, which means re- peat visits are an advantage to those who really want to return. You have a variety of shops, food and events. Keeping up with Boxpark also keeps you on trend with the edgy, hipster side of life. Double bonus!


Carnaby Street hosts ‘one-off concepts’ which means pop up shops. So, if you visit this part of London infrequently and no- tice that shops change each time you do, it isn’t because they have gone out of busi- ness, it’s because that business was only for a limited time!


Design My Night (www.design- mynight.com) was created for those who want to be the first to know about new openings, so it is a great source if you have


www.focus-info.org


FOCUS The Magazine 7


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