Although not a new concept, major retailers are taking to the streets and opening pop-up shops in prominent locations, in order to take advantage of the Olympic trade.

Recent additions to the pop-up frenzy include Chanel at Covent Garden and Karl Largerfeld’s Olympic collection housed inside a pop-up shop in Selfridges.

For smaller, independent retailers however, the perceived cost implications of opening temporary stores could be preventing more from following suit at a time when many industry professionals believe the market is at its prime.

Scott Storey, MD of independent hardware retailer EposPartners, is one who believes that many more retailers could benefit from a pop-up shop strategy.

He says:

“Historically, pop-up shops have been used to good effect by entertainment retailers and gift specialists in the build-up to Christmas, allowing businesses to trial new locations, products and designs. The Olympics has spurred many retailers to roll out this strategy in order to capitalise on the increased footfall, but I believe smaller retailers can benefit from this strategy too, providing they are smart with how they execute it.”

Storey believes that Cervello, a popular ‘cost per transaction’ suite of EPOS software solutions, could enable smaller retailers to take advantage of pop-up locations without worrying about having to buy additional licenses for tills, which can often cost thousands of pounds.

Cervello-Lite, a basic entry-level version of the full Cervello solution, was launched earlier this year and has been selected by Casio to appear pre-loaded on their new VX100 Android Terminal.

“Cervello and Cervello-Lite are practical solutions for any retailer wanting to set up a pop-up shop because of their simple pricing structure,” explains Scott. “There are no upfront license fees and retailers only start paying when sales go through the till. Even then, it’s only a few pence per transaction, making it an affordable way to expand presence temporarily.”

For more information, visit www.cervello-pos.co.uk