Old Market Way (http://oldmarketway.com/), Moreton-in-Marsh’s Shopping Centre, has teamed up with national enterprise campaign StartUp Britain and together they are inviting local businesses to apply to be a part of Pop-Up Moreton, a totally new concept for The Cotswolds that gives young companies an opportunity to trial their products in a cost-effective retail environment.

StartUp Britain ran a series of Pop-Up Shops in London in late 2012, but Moreton-in-Marsh will be the first location outside the capital to host a pop-up shop as part of this fantastic new initiative.

Pop-Up Moreton will be open for eight weeks, from Friday 1 February to Friday 29 March (Easter Friday). During that time, 12 companies will have the chance to spend two weeks each in the retail unit in Old Market Way, with three companies sharing the space at any one time. In return for a fee of just £100 (to include rent, insurance and Wifi access to enable people to carry on working while in situ), each company will be able to spend two weeks trialling a physical retail space, generate marketing buzz and raise the profile of their products and/or company, gain invaluable customer service experience, and test the market through a low-risk and relatively inexpensive method.

Old Market Way is now looking for local businesses located within a 20-mile radius of Moreton-in-Marsh (from Winchcombe in the west to Woodstock in the east, Stratford-upon-Avon in the north and Burford in the south) who would like to take part in this exciting and innovative retail experience.

For the first tenancy, from Friday 1 February to Thursday 14 February inclusive, Pop-Up Moreton is keen to pursue a Valentine’s theme, so any local business with a romantic slant (think handmade chocolates, heart-shaped accessories etc) are particularly encouraged to apply.

Geoffrey Berger, Managing Director of Old Market Way, said, “Old Market Way, as Moreton’s premier shopping centre, is delighted to be playing host to Pop-Up Moreton. We regard this project as a great way to support and encourage new business during difficult trading periods, and we sincerely hope that it will provide a platform to launch the local companies of the future”.

StartUp Britain co-founder Emma Jones said, “We are delighted to be able to team up with Old Market Way to offer small Cotswold businesses an opportunity to get their products to market. We launched our first PopUp Britain shop last summer to bring great British businesses to the high street and to make use of the increasing number of empty shops that depress our towns. Our first pop-up shops have provided small businesses opportunities they wouldn’t otherwise have had. Four in five of the tenants said the experience had been good for their business”.

Rachael Tapping of Cirencester-based Pink, Blue & You (http://www.pinkblueandyou.co.uk/), who took part in one of the Start Up Britain Pop-Up Shops in London, said, “Pop-Up Moreton is a fantastic opportunity for local businesses, who may be considering opening their own shop, to test their products on the local High Street. My experience in the Richmond shop was invaluable; being able to talk to my customers face-to-face, to hear their feedback and comments was the perfect way to develop my products. During the 2 weeks I spent time chatting to my fellow tenants about which trade shows to attend, how to get in front of big retailers such as Liberties and John Lewis, and details such as packaging and making the most of social media. I would highly recommend this opportunity for anyone who wants to develop their business".

All those local businesses interested in securing a fortnight in Pop-Up Moreton should complete the form on the Old Market Way website (http://www.oldmarketway.com/popupshop.html) as soon as possible; for more information, email popupshop@oldmarketway.com.

PopUp Britain is the brainchild of national enterprise campaign StartUp Britain with the aim of giving new British brands an opportunity to get their products onto the British High Street while making good use of the growing number retails outlets now standing empty. It is currently running a shop in the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) which it hopes will bring its pop-up shop model to the attention of the 330 Town Teams, part of the DCLG’s plans for high street regeneration. www.popupbritain.com

Key stats and evidence on start-ups in the UK

• 2011 saw a record high for start-ups: over 450,000 people set up a company and became their own boss
• A StartUp Britain poll revealed 82 per cent of start-ups found the pop-up experience was valuable for their business
• In the UK, there are 4.8m private sector companies employing an estimated 23.9m people with a turnover of £3,100bn • SMEs (especially the small number of high growth SMEs) are key to economic growth
• SMEs also account for almost half the net growth in jobs • According to the latest figures from the British Retail Consortium, 11.3 per cent of shop premises in UK town centres are now vacant
• A survey for Intuit of 1,000 small businesses in the UK found that just 19 per cent of micro-businesses – firms with less than 10 employees – currently accept card payments. Almost half, a total of 47 per cent, said they would accept cards if there was a more affordable way of doing so using their smart phone or tablet.

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