The world’s first ever pop-up mall occupies a yet to be redeveloped site in Shoreditch. With development of the Goodsyard still another five years away a temporary use for the site was needed. Real estate developers Hammerson and Ballymore have partnered with Roger Wade, creator of the Boxfresh label and fashion brand consultancy, Brands Incorporated to deliver the concept. With the world focused on East London in 2012, there’s going to be a huge traffic footfall passing through the area. Located in the centre of the city, it will become a arts, retail and cultural hub.
Constructed of 60 reclaimed shipping containers it’s a low cost, low risk opportunity for retailers. Particularly those looking for an experiential style site to trial a new concept or brand line. The beauty of course is that the containers can be packed up and shipped off to other sites around the globe as the Boxpark concept is rolled out.
What I really dig about this mall is the positioning. An industrial design in an industrial part of town. The pitch for this urban regen project is at street brands – Puma, Vans, Evisu, Levi’s and galleries like Art Against Knives. According to Roger Wade, “Boxpark is going to be a home for independent brands. It can’t be about the High Street, that’s never what Shoreditch has really stood for. What Liberty’s and Selfridges have proved is that if you get that brand mix right, if you focus on the most important thing, the brands, then the customer will come.” Bingo!
If you’ve got a spare 15 minutes, it’s worth checking out the team behind the project.
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