Pop-up shops revitalize retail sector

As shoppers rein in their spending habits and turn to online retailers, high streets around Europe have been hit hard. In Britain, one in eight shops is empty. On the continent one in ten shops and counting. With high rents in London and a lack of credit from banks making it hard for small businesses to get in to the high street, pop-ups have become a solution for some. On the Kings Road in West London, there is a new boutique for shoppers to explore where one can indulge in a little retail therapy with everything from one of a kind shoe designs to personalised whisky flasks. These are tough times to start a small business in Europe especially for retailers. High rents and a lack of available bank loans make it harder to get a presence on the high street. These small businesses have found an innovative solution - popping up for just two weeks. Retail experts, Monarch Capital Partners, encourage people to launch businesses despite tough economic times and now, it is bringing them to their customers. Bonno van der Putten, Managing Director from Monarch Capital Partners, explained: "We've got lots of business that want to meet customers and make sales. We have helped over 150 businesses since January get onto the high street and in retail shopping centres. They have lots of benefits of going on to the high street and shopping centres. They make sales and meet their customers. Some of them have been trading online for a while without ever meeting their customers." Vince Frickel, who runs VL Designs Ltd - a vintage themed online clothing label, said just a week popping up in Kings Road and Westfield have already boosted his business. "From a personal perspective, it has allowed me to test out different products, so I got to speak to people, find out what they liked, which you don't get sitting behind a screen on a computer. This way I get to interact with my customers. I meet new customers and I get to know what works for them, it inspires you," said Frickel. The economic slump has led to shops closing across Britain and the continent so the scheme also aims to help breathe some life into dying high streets, and they hope the variety will encourage shoppers to part with their cash.

And it seems to be working.