This morning saw the launch of StartUp High Street,
giving start-ups the chance to market their goods to a high street
audience through pop-up shops.
In
a
move to boost the economy and encourage retail
growth, StartUp Britain has launched an initiative that will allow
start-ups in need of an outlet to use empty high street shops.
The StartUp High Street scheme, which is also expected to
rejuvenate the UK's high streets, follows a government announcement
last week that a reduction in red tape will make it easier to open
empty shops as pop-ups.
"The best local high streets offer more than simply shopping -
they are the beating heart of their neighbourhoods: places to meet,
work, relax and come together in open-air community centres," said
Grant Schapps, Minister of State for Local Housing and government.
"The government is already breathing new life into the nation's
high streets through Portas Pilots and the High Street Innovation
Fund and so it's great to see innovative new initiatives like
StartUp High Street bringing new people and new uses to empty
shops. Projects like this support new businesses, provide local
jobs boost local economies. I hope that its future success will be
a model for other towns."
A pilot store in Richmond called PopUp Britain will feature
the first six start-up businesses, including Morrows Outfitters, a
sock manufacturer; The Camouflage Company, selling
British-made camping equipment; and Vulpine, offering cycling
accessories.
"StartUp High Street gives small start-up businesses a fantastic
opportunity to scale their businesses and become a part of their
high street. We're seeing record numbers of people setting up
businesses, and this new wave of entrepreneurs are starting out
small and online," said Emma Jones, co-founder of StartUp
Britain.
The initiative also includes PitchUp, a programme that will give
start-ups a chance to pitch their products to high street retailer
John Lewis, with the hopes of getting their merchandise onto the
department store's shelves.
"StartUp High Street is a great example of what can and needs to
be done to support small businesses. They are the driving force of
the economy and now more than ever we've got to do everything we
can to help them find ways to grow," says Lord Young, the Prime
Minister's Enterprise Advisor.
StartUp High Street is seeking the support of local authorities
to offer incentives to the landlords of empty shops to open them up
to local StartUp High Street initiatives. Each business
involved in the initative will have the use of a laptop from Dell,
access to PayPal's internet payments system and Intuit's QuickBooks
accounting software. Additionally, the shop will be kitted out,
courtesy of John Lewis and insured through AXA.
For more information and to apply for a space click here, www.startupbritain.org/highstreet.