Caruso Affiliated introduced a permanent pop-up retail program at the iconic Grove shopping center, in Los Angeles.
The Pop Shops at the Grove, as the program is called, turns small pockets of that retail center into higher-performing spaces by enabling companies to test out their brands there with small, lemonade-stand-like spaces that dot the development’s main streets. The program is rolling out with a dozen brands — BaubleBar, Charlotte Tilbury, FabFitFun, The Giving Keys, Kopari and Uncommon James among them.
The Grove opened a dedicated glass-box pop-up space in 2016, and demand has been such that the company decided to branch out with additional pop-up opportunities. The box has housed about 20 brands, including Chiara Ferragni, Everlane, Outdoor Voices, Saint Laurent and Tiffany & Co.
“We look for brands that have had, in their own right, a lot of success”
“There’s limited space at the Grove, so we thought how great to be able to experiment with different brands by creating an actual mobile structure that will allow us to house more,” said Julie Jauregui, the company's senior vice president of retail operations and leasing, as reported in the Los Angeles Times. “There are a number of brands that want to come to the Grove, but, unfortunately, there’s only so much space. We started with our glass box, and that is where we took off. It has been an amazing success for us. We have a waiting list, and we really felt like we wanted to expand on the program. A lot of retail centers are filling vacant spaces with pop-ups. We’re the opposite: The Grove is trying to find more space.”
Caruso initially wanted the Pop Shops to cater to digital brands but ultimately decided to focus on a mix of established and up-and-coming businesses. “It will probably evolve over time,” Jauregui said. “We look for brands that have had, in their own right, a lot of success, and that’s what dictates whether we have them on the property.”
Jauregui says Caruso is looking to bring a similar program to its newest portfolio property, Palisades Village, in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Southern California. “We’re in the process of crafting pop-ups down there," she said. "It’s a small center, a dynamic center that’s super-productive for us. Right now we don’t have enough space for the brands that want to be there, so we feel like that’s probably the next destination for this.”
Other landlords are trying out the idea too. Macerich, Simon and Washington Prime all have similar concepts intended to remove entry barriers for new brands looking to grow.
By Brannon Boswell
Executive Editor, Commerce + Communities Today