Think of a market stall and many people will think of the traditional slot together steel structure with a large ill-fitting rectangular candy stripe sheet. This type of stall epitomises a rather old fashioned view of markets – poor quality products sold cheaply from a stall made up from a jumble of rusting bars and faded dirty covers.
Markets, however, have undergone a revolution in their image, traders and products offered. As large, “buy it all under one roof” shops, slaughtered the competitiveness of the lower end of the retail spectrum, markets began a serious decline. Couple this with an image of hooky knock off goods and something had to be done if markets were to stand a chance of surviving.
Market operators began to look at a different way of marketing themselves. With a rise in continental markets, the UK was exposed to the smart uniformity of the pop up market stall. Traders from the near continent were bringing a wide variety of food, drink and handicrafts which attracted huge crowds of investigative shoppers who were looking for something different. Shoppers were also attracted by the much more professional approach to presentation that the continental traders had. Their pop up market stalls were quick to erect with smart fitted covers, their traders were equally as smart and professional.
Thus the idea was born to change the way the UK had approached markets for decades. Change didn’t happen overnight and even now there are poorly performing pockets of stubborn traders who fail to understand the full impact that presentation has on shoppers buying decisions. However, change has occurred. There is now a huge number of markets and traders who have thrown out their old style market stalls and replaced them with the pop up market stall.
The main advantages of the pop up market stall are:
- Very quick to erect and dismantle – allows the trader to spend much more time on their “flash” or product display.
- Very easy to store as the majority come in a wheeled carry bag which is no longer than 62″ in length.
- Waterproof covers in a huge colour range, that are fitted to the framework.
- Smart sides with clear PVC to make stalls feel light and airy.
- Huge range of available accessories such as anchoring systems, weights and hanging displays.
- Market Operators can create a uniformity of size and style that was virtually impossible with the traditional style stalls.
- Health and Safety often deems that the traditional stalls are of a higher risk of injury to traders and customers because of falling bars and ill-fitting metal held together with tie wraps and string in the worse case scenarios.
There is no doubt that the manufacture and purchase of pop up market stalls has had a huge impact on the viability and continuing success of many markets. With farmers markets emerging and using pop up market stalls and the call to buy locally sourced and home grown produce, the market place has transformed itself into a 21st century business model.