What: Brands are increasingly looking for nimble solutions when it comes to their retail footprint

Why it is important: The appearance of mobile popups is both a threat and an opportunity for department stores: a threat because it gives brands another option not to come to them, and opportunity because it could also be the occasion to monetize dead space.

The new trend of mobile popup stores (as shown at the end of 2020 with Louis Vuitton mobile stores) is expanding, and getting industrialised. Popup Republic, a US-based company, offers to brands, among which Nike or Amazon, to test various locations with a single popup store on wheels.

The advantage is that, while it requires an initial investment roughly similar to a standard store, once the mobile popup store is built, it can allow to test various locations without having to multiply negotiations with landlords and investments.

Brands are increasingly getting nimble and mobile, with various solutions: Gucci in a Milan apartment, Lego in an art gallery in London, Pantone in a café in Monaco or Matchesfashion on a yacht off the Italian coast.

The article takes the example of Cuyana, a LA-based fashion brand, to explain that the investment is worth it, by amassing data on various potential locations to make better store decisions. This project is also presented as a solution for mall owners who want to monetize their dead spaces (parking lots, courtyards, atriums).

Cuyana Fashion Label Takes Traveling Pop-Up Showrooms on the Road