Amazon has opened a first pop-up store in the United Kingdom and intends to open a small dozen more. Their aim will be to help small online companies grow, and to function as pick-up location.
‘Clicks and Mortar’
The initiative is part of a year-long testing programme in collaboration with Enterprise Nation, an organisation that supports small companies. The idea is to grant a hundred small companies the chance to display their products to a large audience. The first ‘Clicks and Mortar‘ shop opened last Monday in the centre of Manchester and features scooters by Swifty Scooters and – of course – an Amazon parcel pick-up.
Amazon is planning to open around ten Clicks and Mortar outlets, across the United Kingdom, although the precise locations have not yet been announced. In any case, Amazon will be able to find enough store space in key locations, since in the last few years a number of major chains have been closing down quite a few outlets in some of the most important shopping streets (or even went bankrupt). According to the British Retail Consortium, the vacancy rate in city centres is now at about ten percent.
“Amazon is committed to supporting the growth of small businesses, helping them boost the economy and create jobs across the UK. Small businesses are one of our most important customer groups”, Amazon UK manager Doug Gurr pointed out.
