In London, “Pop Up” Neighborhoods are Transforming the High Street

It’s a plight that affects countless American cities: block after block of empty storefronts that not only impact the retailers who struggle to remain there, but make once-dynamic streets look like ghost-towns.

It’s a different story in London, where a start-up called Appear Here is transforming the city’s High Streets.

Motcomb Street in London’s Belgravia district is just one neighborhood that has been revitalized thanks to Appear Here.

In the UK, 2,500 independent stores closed last year. Hailed as the “Airbnb of retail”, Appear Here is making those empty storefronts viable opportunities for entrepreneurs who can’t commit or have the cashflow for a ten-year lease.

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Appear Here is paying off, with a reported surge of 296% in demand, just in the UK alone.

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In as little as 3-6 days, a start-up retailer can lease a shopfront – a far shorter timeline than traditional leasing contracts. Appear Here CEO Ross Bailey says, that’s very much the point: create an ease of entry for new brands.

“I want to see ideas that embody the need for human experience and showmanship. At Appear Here we believe that a store is more than the sum of its parts, it has the power to be the heartbeat of a community. Retailers are defined not by what they sell, but by the experience they promise, and we want the winning ideas to reflect that.”

A Supreme Pop Up in London’s Tanner Street was open for only a day. 350 people lined up to get the latest product drop. Courtesy Appear Here

If the concept sounds familiar, it is. In 2013 we told you about a San Francisco start-up called Storefront that helped fill empty mall spaces [ read the archived story here.]

Appear Here is paying off, with a reported surge of 296% in demand, just in the UK alone. In London, streets like Walton Street in Chelsea, or Chilterne Street in Maryleborne are now fully-tenanted with a collection of vibrantly unique shops.

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“Retailers are defined not by what they sell, but by the experience they promise.”

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In addition, the start-up is offering a competition for a free flagship location to four entrepreneurs whose concepts will be judged by a celebrity panel that includes Diane von Furstenberg founder, DVF), Natalie Massenet (founder, Net-a-Porter), and Dylan Jones (editor, GQ).

Le Chocolat des Français in Paris’ Marais district. Courtesy Appear Here

Le Chocolat des Français was one concept that caught the eye of the judges and earned a high-visibility location in Paris’ Marais for 15 days. 500 people attended the opening night and the shop earned 10,000 euros in sales.

Appear Here is funded by nine investment groups and currently boasts offices in London, New York and Paris.

But Appear Here isn’t just appealing to start-ups.

Chanel recently took up space in Elizabeth Taylor’s former townhouse in New York, and in London, Supreme took over an industrial warehouse that resonated with their target audience of hipsters.

While it’s impressive that Appear Here has the blessings of major retail, it begs the question: do those brands really need their help?

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