The shopping center operator ECE and the pop-up store specialist Pop Up My Brand (PUMB), a Vertikom Group company, have developed a new store concept that opens today for the first time at Limbecker Platz shopping center in Essen. The focus of the new format “It’s All About Stories,” a mixture of a pop-up and concept store, is on changing themes and settings, in which six to eight brands can showcase themselves and their products for two months each. ECE and PUMB developed the idea for the “It’s All About Stories” concept, while PUMB is responsible for implementing and operating the new concept store.
“The new pop-up format adds another interactive concept to the center that helps us achieve our goal of offering customers a truly remarkable shopping experience,” said Steffen Eric Friedlein, Managing Director Leasing at ECE, at the store opening. “The format offers customers a continuously updated, curated selection of products that they can touch and experience – products they would not otherwise find at the center.”
Focus on Shopping Experience and Brand Showcasing The “It’s All About Stories” concept is intended to provide visitors to the store with additional inspiration and experiences related to the respective theme. The advantage for the participating brands is that they can present their products flexibly, temporarily, and in a special environment. Since PUMB offers them full support with the implementation and operation, the partnering brands don’t have anything to worry about. As a result, the concept represents an additional opportunity to enter brick-and-mortar retail, especially for brands with little experience at the point of sale or with a desire to explore new formats and ways to showcase their products.
“We offer the participating brands a simple and flexible platform to present their brands in an interactive way with significant reach and footfall,” says PUMB General Manager Christoph Edler. “We can do what digital shopping can’t do – appeal to the senses, allow visitors to test the products, and bring the brands to life.”
Multifunctional Design for Changing Themes The store is also designed to create a rich shopping experience and to showcase the products – the multifunctional and modular design makes it possible to perfectly integrate the ever-changing products into the overarching theme. Highlight displays and a stage allow products to be perfectly showcased in presentations or events. A coffee bar and lounge create a relaxed atmosphere in the store. Another unique feature is the way the store and the mall area are connected – part of the store extends into the corridor structurally, guiding visitors directly into the store.
Concept in Essen Kicking Off with Technology Theme The pilot store in Essen will launch with the theme “It’s All About Gadgets, Baby!”, focusing on the presentation of various technology products from the following brands and partners, among others: Mark E (utility company), Kito (electric scooters), xounts (loudspeaker systems), as well as Hama, Sony, Fitbit, AEG, and Ecovacs – with two food partners rounding out the offering. Upcoming “stories” will include themes such as family, cozy home, outdoor, sports and fitness, vacation and travel, and sustainable living.
