London Made Me retail development programme

The programme consists of three phases:  

LEARN: you will benefit from an in-person two-week training course covering key topics including business planning, visioning and location, customer experience, storytelling, marketing and PR, product development, event organisation, retail tech, administration and logistics. Over the two weeks you will hear from industry experts and benefit from in-depth, practical sessions aimed at growing your business and supporting you to bring your brand to life. 

BUILD: you will take part in a real time shop-build alongside designers and tradespeople to develop a welcoming, inclusive, and highly engaging retail experience for customers. The BUILD phase will include creating your shop fittings, painting, cleaning, and setting up stock – all of which will give you an understanding of what it takes to set up a commercial pop-up shop. You will help deliver a launch event to open the store, inviting your networks, stakeholders and press and media contacts. This will be a great chance to explore how to effectively communicate your brand, product, and ideas to a large audience.  

TRADE: you will run the pop-up shop alongside other participants, and curate a series of in-store public workshops and events. The pop-up shop will be open to the public for four weeks over the festive period, where you will work with your fellow participants to manage the store with guidance from retail experts. Over these four weeks you will meet customers, convert sales, receive feedback on your products and brand, as well as host events, workshops and live sessions showcasing your creative practice. The shop will be open in one of the busiest times of the retail calendar aimed at maximising your opportunity to meet customers, make sales and develop new business contacts.

Key dates:

Please watch this space for announcements on exact dates and locations for the LEARN, BUILD, and TRADE phases.  

We will prioritise applications from participants who meet the eligibility criteria set out in the ‘Who can take part’ section and who: 

• Have initial ideas about how they want to grow their business and create a physical retail environment for their brand 

• Have creative ideas and suggestions for the live retail activations (events and workshops) they will host in the pop-up shop 

• Can identify what skills and knowledge they need to develop or expand their business and can demonstrate how the programme will help them achieve this 

• Can demonstrate how they will apply the learning from the programme in their creative practice and/or share it with their local creative community.  

We will want to ensure that participants represent a wide range of specialisms and disciplines and that overall, the products and collections will work well together in the pop-up shop.  

Participants will be selected based on a two-stage application process: 

Application stage 

Applications are now open for London Made Me retail development programme 2024. To apply please complete our online application form. 

If you need support to be able to complete the form we would be happy to talk about other ways for you to apply to the programme. For example, you could email us a voice note or go through questions with a member of the team over the phone. 

Applications close at 4pm on Friday 9 August 2024.  

Interview stage 

We will shortlist applications based on the criteria listed. If shortlisted, you will be invited to an interview where you will be able to present your product and make a short ‘pitch’ to a panel of industry experts. The interviews will take place on 9 and 10 September at City Hall, Kamal Chunchie Way, London E16 1ZE. 

Following the interview stage, we will shortlist the final participants cohort, and you will be notified of the outcome of your application by mid-September. 

First set up in 2022, the pilot programme saw 14 creative businesses come together in an intensive four-week programme to learn, build and trade their own collective shop experience on Regent Street.  

During the pop-up shop three-week trading period the shop showcased products from artwork and sustainably-made clothing to accessories and handmade ceramics from more than 30 creatives and hosted  and in-store events programme of live art, workshops and product demonstrations.  

The programme was delivered in partnership with Alice Mayor, Hypha Studios and The Crown Estate, with thanks to Westminster Council, the Business and IP Centre, Heart of London Business Alliance and London & Partners. 

Following the success of the pilot, the programme returned for a second year during the festive season in 2023. Twelve creative entrepreneurs, four of which were collectives, came together to learn, build and trade their own collective shop experience in Carnaby Street.  

Opening its doors on Saturday 2 December - coinciding with Small Business Saturday - the shop traded throughout the festive period featured a unique collection of limited-edition artworks, homeware, clothing, ceramics, accessories and gifts from more than 60 creatives. The creative businesses were also responsible for bringing live events to the space, as well as developing their sales and customer service skills.   

The programme was delivered in partnership with Creative United, Alice Mayor and our media partner, Visit London. Laura Mulhern, founder of Plan Make Do, led a two-week creative business training programme at Somerset House, and Creative Consultant and Director, Jo Armitage, led the creatives through the Shop Design and Build phase. 

2022 highlights and achievements

• Participants were approached by other stores, including Fortnum & Mason, for concession opportunities  

• Due to the shop’s popularity, the trading period extended from 11 days to 35  

• Five participants joined forces for new pop-up shop opportunities in their local areas following the programme 

• Stylists and celebrities approached participants to wear items sold in the store on the red carpet  

• Participants received over 600 hours of business support and development 

• The store generated a total of nearly £35,000 in sales with each participant on average making £2,000 

2023 highlights and achievements

• Participants received over 1,600 hours of business support and development 

• During the month-long trading period, the total sales for the participants was close to £82,000, more than double last year’s sales of £35,000 when the shop was based in Regent Street.  

• More than 4,000 individual items were sold, with between 80 and 100 purchases happening each day and shoppers spending on average around £34.00 per visit.  

• While the shop was open, visitors were also able to take part in more than 20 creative activations including workshops and evening events, and view live art being created on a daily basis.  

• VIP visitors included actress Sharon Horgan, comedian Rob Beckett, actor and presenter James Cordon and photographer, publisher and film director RANKIN, and was featured on the BBC, The Wick Culture, City AM and Visit London. 

We are actively looking to collaborate with strategic partners with expertise in creative retail, business support and development, commercial property, branding and partnerships and more. Your support will mean we can give London’s talented creative entrepreneurs a unique opportunity to learn new skills and bring their brands to life.  

If you would like to speak to us about becoming a strategic partner, you can email us at: [email protected]  

Sign up to our information sessions for applicants 

Join us for an introduction to the pioneering London Made Me retail development programme. We will cover how the programme works, who can take part, how to apply, and key dates.  

• 22 July 6pm to 7.30pm, Creative Works, Waltham Forest 

• 23 July 12.30pm to 2pm, Cockpit, Lewisham 

• 24 July 6pm to 7.30pm, online session 

• 25 July 12.30pm to 2pm, The Park Royal Gallery at EX2, Ealing 

If you have any questions about the programme, please contact the team: [email protected]