Lockdown entrepreneurs given chance to secure West End retail space
Entrepreneurs that have established new brands during the UK coronavirus lockdown could secure physical retail space in the West End through a pop-up incubator initiative.
West End landlord Shaftesbury has launched a scheme to offer retailers the chance to operate from a pop-up store in Seven Dials in a bid to support new businesses.
The property developer said that one in 10 small businesses have launched new products or expanded their services from home during the UK coronavirus lockdown.
Shaftesbury retail director Samanta Bain Mollison said: “We recognise that 2020 has been very tough for many businesses, but it has also been a time of creativity with many start-ups harnessing the time in lockdown to evolve their brands and we want to help them take the next steps with a bricks-and-mortar presence and encourage the future entrepreneurs”.
Firms have two weeks to apply for the Start Up with Seven Dials initiative, with industry experts including Shaftesbury’s Bain Millison, Daily Telegraph shopping editor Krissy Turner and retail consultant Tom Bottomley lined up to select the winners.
The chosen brands will receive support from Shaftesbury and Seven Dials, and will sit alongside a number of independent, designer and entrepreneurial brands including Farah, Diesel and Tatty Devine.
Joe Kennedy, co-founder of Unit London, who recently announced the opening of their new permanent exhibition space, Unit-X in Seven Dials following a number of pop-ups in the area added: “We are fortunate enough to have a seven-year long history of pop-up exhibitions in Seven Dials and have experienced first-hand the opportunities it offers to young businesses starting out.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for any budding business to get a foothold in the heart in one of the greatest cities in the world.”