Why and how to open a pop-up store in Brussels
The Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg took part last 28th of October in the conference organised by Atrium.Brussels (agency of the Brussels-Capital Region that promotes commercial development) about how and why to open a pop-up store in the city.
Due to the growing trend of this ephemeral commerce, Atrium developed a study to analyze the keys for success with a pop-up store. In particular, the project L’Auberge Espagnole, released in Etterbeek in May 2016, allowed it to corroborate the results of its study and communicate them to the attendees.
During the first part of the conference, Arnaud Tixer, Atrium.Brussels’ CEO, explained the reasons for this new business model growth. On the one hand, the change in customer’s behavior: that one has become much more demanding, looking for the unusual and unique at all times. On the other hand, the idea of a pop-up store is also useful for the traders, who can test their business idea reducing risks.
The second part of this workshop continued with some testimonies of the owners of pop-up stores in Brussels, who explained their experience and advised the future entrepreneurs. They all insisted on the need of previous preparation in order to open a pop-up store.
The CRO of Atrium.Brussels, Julien Bacq, highlighted the need to identify themselves with the neighborhood spirit and to maintain strong links with it when we open the pop-up store. These stores, in his opinion, modernize the neighborhood while they keep its essence.
Flore Frédéric, Project Manager of Atrium.Brussels, was the next one to speak. The rapporteur presented the study of Atrium and commented the most important factors to take into account to open a pop-up store. Among them, defining the business model and determining the duration and the purpose of the pop-up store. Besides, Frédéric focused on three key lines to get success: determining the flow and frequency of people, the needs of the target neighborhood and the rent to pay. Finally, she emphasized the importance of the promotion and the communication of the pop-up store, and the required administrative procedure.
The event finished with a round of questions in which the attendees could raise theirs questions. The speaker answered in detail and highlighted the creation of the Google + community to put the potential traders and owners in contact. Furthermore, she stressed the role of Atrium as a local adviser authority in the whole process of the establishment of a pop-up store in Brussels.
Check the study developed by Atrium.
