Sam Jayne Designs
“Being back at my desk over the last few days has given me time to reflect on last week when I was doing my Pop-Up Shop in John Lewis 🤩 It got me thinking about what I learnt whilst being there 😊 So here’s my list of things I learnt along the way…
💖 I can do hard things and push myself out of my comfort zone! That’s when the magic happens!
💖 You can’t do everything on your own and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Over the week I had family and friends help me and I definitely needed the help. I couldn’t have done it without them.
💖 I can be a confident person. It took me a few days to warm up but once I got talking to people about me and my brand it felt really good!
💖 Not everyone will like your products and that’s ok. But make sure they are commercial so they appeal to more people.
💖 Taking risks is part of the process. It was a risk for me being stood in John Lewis. Questions like what if I don’t sell anything? or can I make more money say at my desk? We’re going around in my head but one thing I’ve learnt is you just have to give it a go and go for it or you’ll never know!
If you’re thinking of doing a Pop Up Shop I would really recommend it 😊 It’s been great for my Brand exposure and has lifted my confidence which is a win for me! Go on, give it a go!”
– John Lewis Trafford
East Nole
“My wife and I had a pop-up in John Lewis at the Trafford Centre and it was one of the best experiences we could have asked for for our business.
Firstly, the opportunity to have a prime location in one of the biggest shopping centres in the UK is incredible. The footfall we had at John Lewis allowed us to speak to hundreds of people throughout the week. This gave us valuable sales experience you don’t get when selling through a website. We had previously exhibited at a tradeshow in the ExCeL and Balance Wellness Festival in 2022, but this surpassed our expectations.
We sold out of all the stock we brought to John Lewis in just five days. But the most valuable part of the experience was meeting and speaking to our target market. We literally rewrote our entire future direction based on the sales we made and the people we talked to and redesigned our website, emails and marketing material as a result.
This has led to us doubling our sales month on month ever since June.
Thank you for helping small businesses like us have an incredible experience that wouldn’t have been possible without GBX.”
– John Lewis Nottingham
Glamavan
” It was such an incredible time last week having a pop up in @bootsuk with all of my @glamavanglitter biodegradable glitter products 🌱✨
“Such a great opportunity and one I would love to do again. It was such a successful week with customers buying our gift sets for presents and our party sets for their own upcoming celebrations.
It was also great to be able to educate customers and tell them how our glitter is sustainable, we also offered a free face glitter with every purchase and they absolutely loved watching our demos of how easy it is to apply!”
– Boots Kingston
Just Wears
“We had a fabulous experience partnering with GBE who helped us to secure a pop-up stand at JohnLewis Canary Wharf for Father’s Day week this year.
It was a fantastic opportunity to introduce our brand, JustWears, to a wider audience and connect with customers directly. GBE plays a crucial role in bridging the gap between small brands and big retailers.
Throughout the process, they were incredibly supportive, always there to address any questions or concerns we had. We look forward to doing more pop-ups with them in the future. Thank you, Team GBE!”
– Waitrose Canary Wharf
Ava and Azar
“I’m writing to share my experience with you after having my first pop-up at Peter Jones in Sloane Square last week. I had the BEST time! It was so great to have the store position where it was – I wanted my display to attract passers-by – and the feedback was so positive! From customers old, new and locals and the Peter Jones staff, the general feedback was that the display was eye -catching, whilst the earrings were totally unique. THANK YOU! Hugely grateful, and hope this is the start of many pop ups with you.
“
– John Lewis Peter Jones
We Are Proper Good
“Seeing my work in a high street shop was definitely one of my highlights of the year.”
– Boots Trafford Centre
Ibblotta
“I don’t know exactly what I was expecting…but from the arrival on the first day – to the loading the van at the end – and everything in between completely exceeded my expectations.
The GBE and the JLP store team were amazing to work with – friendly, supportive and genuinely wanting IBBLOTTA to do well over the week.
Part of the challenge of being a small artisan is to be able to get out and meet customers to show the quality of what we do and see our brand. Being in Cheltenham with supportive staff, an active and collaborative social media marketing team and with the unique space in store with the digital screens was an amazing opportunity. We had so many great conversations with new customers. Sales were good despite a quiet week. We will absolutely be looking to book more dates.”
– John Lewis Cheltenham
Scalable Designs
“Hearing customer views and ideas has given us so much encouragement for the future & meeting our own ‘Dragon.’ Our expectations on sales were met and expectations on customer feedback vastly exceeded. One such customer, visiting from overseas, was so impressed they made us a business offer & we are now in partnership with them.”
– John Lewis Oxford
Orange Erin
” Earlier this year I was in a quandary of what to do next in elevating my small brand so when I spied an opportunity to apply have a pop-up at John Lewis , I jumped at the chance.
The response I had from passers by instore to people actually buying my products, there is no feeling like it!
Since then I have had lots of repeat customers, I have been on local radio and featured in local press too. In addition, I secured other pop-ups in the area, the experience has elevating my brand and I have booked to go back in store again next month – with a new collection. Exciting times!”
– John Lewis Nottingham