We Are Pop Up
We Are Pop Up is a technology company.
We Are Pop Up is a technology company.
We Are Pop Up is a technology-enabled marketplace that connects brands with flexible pop-up retail spaces and ShopShares across Europe, enabling easy bookings without paperwork.[1][2] It serves fashion, food, art, and homeware brands, as well as space owners like boutiques, solving the challenge of discovering and securing short-term retail venues for product launches, events, and collaborations.[1][2] With $4 million in revenue, $656,000 in funding, and a lean team of 3 employees since 2012, the company emphasizes speed, flexibility, and direct brand-to-brand messaging to foster the sharing economy in retail.[1]
Founded in 2012, We Are Pop Up emerged as a response to the growing demand for pop-up retail amid the rise of experiential shopping and flexible commercial spaces.[1] The company pioneered an online platform to match independent retailers and brands with available venues, starting in the UK and expanding to Europe, with early traction through features like ShopShare—allowing brands to share spaces in existing boutiques—and Brand to Brand Messaging, the world's first social marketplace for retailers.[1][2] Key technologies such as JavaScript, HTML, and PHP powered its fast, open website, helping it disrupt traditional retail leasing in a market shifting toward temporary, creative activations.[1]
We Are Pop Up rides the pop-up retail and proptech wave, capitalizing on post-pandemic shifts toward flexible, experiential commerce over permanent leases amid high-street regeneration and e-commerce fatigue.[1] Timing aligns with retail innovation trends, where temporary activations boost brand visibility and foot traffic; market forces like rising commercial real estate costs favor marketplaces over brokers.[1][3] It influences the ecosystem by democratizing access for independents—competing with Appear Here and Storefront—while advancing "future retail" through technology that blends physical spaces with digital matchmaking.[1][3]
We Are Pop Up is poised to expand its European footprint amid sustained demand for agile retail models, potentially scaling ShopShare and messaging tools with AI-driven matches or global partnerships.[1][2] Trends like hybrid commerce, sustainability-focused pop-ups, and urban regeneration will propel growth, evolving its influence from niche connector to essential proptech player in creative retail. This positions it to capture more of the $4 million revenue trajectory, building on its lean, innovative foundation.[1]