![Customers browsing through products in a pop-up shop](/sites/default/files/styles/page_header_sm/public/2022-11/Large_Web_Image-London_Made_Me_Pop-Up_Launch_Nov_2022_0078.jpg?h=d903ef63&itok=jKZOJTHF)
London Made Me retail development programme
Uniting talent from our Creative Enterprise Zones
Are you an artist, maker or creative based in one of the Mayor of London’s 12 Creative Enterprise Zones?
Are you looking to take the next step in growing your creative business?
Do you want to run your own shop or pop-up in your local area one day?
If so, then the London Made Me retail development programme could be for you.
The London Made Me retail development programme is brought to you by the Mayor of London as part of his flagship Creative Enterprise Zone programme. The London Made Me retail development programme was founded in 2022 in collaboration with Alice Mayor, a leading creative retail consultant and the founder of We Built This City.
It is designed to give creatives the skills, knowledge, and practical experience needed to bring your brand to life and help you take your creative business to the next level in the retail space.
This is by bringing together creatives, makers and artists from the Mayor’s Creative Enterprise Zones to learn the ropes of high street retail before building and trading in their own collective retail store.
The aim is to give Londoners living or working in one of the city's 12 zones the skills, knowledge and real-life practical experience needed to build their brand online and establish and launch a successful shop, gallery, exhibition or pop-up space in their own high streets and local areas.
After two highly successful initiatives in Regent Street in 2022 and Carnaby Street in 2023, the programme returns for a third year!
Participants will take part in a two-week classroom-based creative business training course, followed by the opportunity to build and trade as a collective in their own pop-up shop in a central London location where they will showcase their work in a renowned shopping destination, meet customers from all over the world, help deliver engaging events and immersive in-store experiences and more.
Being part of a group of creatives will offer the opportunity to learn from others and form valuable connections for future collaborations and business development.
Who can take part?
The programme typically supports between 10 to 15 artists and creative businesses each year. Some of these can be a collective of artists trading under a single representative banner and led by one to three artists.
We are keen to feature a wide range of specialisms and disciplines, and showcase makers, artists and creatives who represent London’s vibrant and diverse arts and cultural sector.
We particularly encourage applications from communities who have been historically underrepresented in the creative industries. This includes Black, Asian and minority ethnic, Deaf and disabled people, LBGTQIA+, women, and low-income groups.
To be eligible to take part, you must:
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Live or work in one of London’s 12 Creative Enterprise Zones. You can find out which Creative Enterprise Zone you’re in by using our postcode checker. Creative Enterprise Zones are 12 specific geographic areas across London which are home to a range of cultural organisations and creative businesses working in fashion, film, art, craft, architecture, music, design and more.
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Have been trading for at least one year in your current business, with a proven sales record of your product and a desire for this to grow.
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Currently creating work that is consistent with the practical needs and logistics of a pop-up retail space. This can include, but is not limited to photography, craft, pottery, visual art, fashion, accessories, gifts, design, homeware, jewellery and sculpture.
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Have (or be capable of producing by November) sufficient stock for at least five weeks.
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Commit to being in the shop a minimum of three days a week during the trading period.
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Have or acquire by the time of the shop launch, your own comprehensive public liability insurance. You will be required to share your policy details prior to participation.
Check which Creative Enterprise Zone you're in
To be eligible to take part in the London Made Me retail development programme, you must live or work in a Creative Enterprise Zone.
If you are unsure which Creative Enterprise Zone you're in, you can use our postcode checker. Simply search by your home or business postcode to find out.
How does the programme work?
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.
Who are we looking for and how to apply
We will prioritise applications from participants who meet the eligibility criteria set out in the ‘Who can take part’ section and who:
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Have initial ideas about how they want to grow their business and create a physical retail environment for their brand
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Have creative ideas and suggestions for the live retail activations (events and workshops) they will host in the pop-up shop
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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
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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 closed 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, 10 and 11 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.
The story so far
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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.
Meet our 2022 alumni
![Woman in a shop with clothes rails.](/sites/default/files/styles/media_component_4_3_sm/public/2023-11/Large_Web_Image-London_Made_Me_Pop-Up_Launch_Nov_2022_0072.jpg?h=3ab85012&itok=INN5PISa)
![Woman with display of jewellery](/sites/default/files/styles/media_component_4_3_sm/public/2023-11/Large_Web_Image-London_Made_Me_Pop-Up_Launch_Nov_2022_0069.jpg?h=b7eb1af0&itok=Tq7fUTUc)
![Group of four women with framed prints in the background.](/sites/default/files/styles/media_component_4_3_sm/public/2023-11/Large_Web_Image-London_Made_Me_Pop-Up_Launch_Nov_2022_0058.jpg?h=42dd849f&itok=JjF89Fq0)
![Woman with display of children's clothes](/sites/default/files/styles/media_component_4_3_sm/public/2023-11/Large_Web_Image-London_Made_Me_Pop-Up_Launch_Nov_2022_0066.jpg?h=eaba5b54&itok=TR6CksDn)
![Woman with a rail of clothes](/sites/default/files/styles/media_component_4_3_sm/public/2023-11/Large_Web_Image-London_Made_Me_Pop-Up_Launch_Nov_2022_0017.jpg?h=c3635fa2&itok=acg--8Vg)
![Person at London Made Me pop-up shop](/sites/default/files/styles/media_component_4_3_sm/public/2023-11/Large_Web_Image-London_Made_Me_Pop-Up_Launch_Nov_2022_0016.jpg?h=c3635fa2&itok=__nbR_t-)
![Woman sitting at table with bowls](/sites/default/files/styles/media_component_4_3_sm/public/2023-11/Large_Web_Image-London_Made_Me_Pop-Up_Launch_Nov_2022_0047.jpg?h=4a789f71&itok=tOQZNGn9)
![Woman with display of ceramics](/sites/default/files/styles/media_component_4_3_sm/public/2023-11/Large_Web_Image-London_Made_Me_Pop-Up_Launch_Nov_2022_0019.jpg?h=fbd4ccc6&itok=9fZTsf4i)
![Man with plates in displayed in foreground.](/sites/default/files/styles/media_component_4_3_sm/public/2023-11/Large_Web_Image-London_Made_Me_Pop-Up_Launch_Nov_2022_0062.jpg?h=8f3ca2cc&itok=7L8KbwCt)
![Woman with display of jewellery](/sites/default/files/styles/media_component_4_3_sm/public/2023-11/Large_Web_Image-London_Made_Me_Pop-Up_Launch_Nov_2022_0049.jpg?h=83a1274c&itok=tJjVxVOl)
![woman with costume designs](/sites/default/files/styles/media_component_4_3_sm/public/2022-11/Large_Web_Image-London_Made_Me_Pop-Up_Launch_Nov_2022_0064.jpg?h=28332c27&itok=dgI8mRay)
![Woman with presentation table and rail of clothes](/sites/default/files/styles/media_component_4_3_sm/public/2023-11/Large_Web_Image-London_Made_Me_Pop-Up_Launch_Nov_2022_0056.jpg?h=ede28c82&itok=JPUoZULr)
![Two women with a presentation table with bags](/sites/default/files/styles/media_component_4_3_sm/public/2023-11/Large_Web_Image-London_Made_Me_Pop-Up_Launch_Nov_2022_0054.jpg?h=c3635fa2&itok=mF_Qftwj)
![Man with framed prints on a wall in the background](/sites/default/files/styles/media_component_4_3_sm/public/2023-11/Large_Web_Image-London_Made_Me_Pop-Up_Launch_Nov_2022_0060.jpg?h=d1df5e7c&itok=ExcAic4S)
2022 highlights and achievements
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Participants were approached by other stores, including Fortnum & Mason, for concession opportunities
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Due to the shop’s popularity, the trading period extended from 11 days to 35
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Five participants joined forces for new pop-up shop opportunities in their local areas following the programme
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Stylists and celebrities approached participants to wear items sold in the store on the red carpet
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Participants received over 600 hours of business support and development
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The store generated a total of nearly £35,000 in sales with each participant on average making £2,000
Meet our 2023 alumni
![Person standing outside holding clothing](/sites/default/files/styles/media_component_4_3_sm/public/2023-11/Large_Web_Image-London-Made-Me_0.jpg?h=69189783&itok=robsNefF)
![two people standing outside](/sites/default/files/styles/media_component_4_3_sm/public/2023-11/Large_Web_Image-London-Made-Me_1.jpg?h=7fa59318&itok=XEKi7940)
![Person holding plant hangers](/sites/default/files/styles/media_component_4_3_sm/public/2023-11/Large_Web_Image-London-Made-Me_2.jpg?h=69189783&itok=T8M4l0Qj)
![Person at London Made Me pop-up shop](/sites/default/files/styles/media_component_4_3_sm/public/2023-11/Large_Web_Image-London-Made-Me_3.jpg?h=fe7ed100&itok=gVefVkFi)
![Person at London Made Me pop-up shop](/sites/default/files/styles/media_component_4_3_sm/public/2023-11/Large_Web_Image-London-Made-Me_4.jpg?h=a38d16bf&itok=JIW8JeTj)
![People at London Made Me pop-up shop](/sites/default/files/styles/media_component_4_3_sm/public/2023-11/Large_Web_Image-London-Made-Me_5.jpg?h=bd762d0d&itok=SqLhSZUu)
![Person at London Made Me pop-up shop](/sites/default/files/styles/media_component_4_3_sm/public/2023-11/Large_Web_Image-London-Made-Me_6.jpg?h=d3137c84&itok=Nu80OBJ9)
![Person at London Made Me pop-up shop](/sites/default/files/styles/media_component_4_3_sm/public/2023-11/Large_Web_Image-London-Made-Me_7.jpg?h=48aec3ed&itok=9ctkF2v4)
![Person at London Made Me pop-up shop](/sites/default/files/styles/media_component_4_3_sm/public/2023-12/Large_Web_Image-London-Made-Me.jpg?h=7ab4b5e0&itok=zM06EWvs)
![Person at London Made Me pop-up shop](/sites/default/files/styles/media_component_4_3_sm/public/2023-12/Large_Web_Image-London-Made-Me_0.jpg?h=30e7cfc0&itok=CLsp0So-)
![People at London Made Me pop-up shop](/sites/default/files/styles/media_component_4_3_sm/public/2023-12/Large_Web_Image-London-Made-Me_1.jpg?h=f4d59389&itok=dk9SQsQO)
![Person at London Made Me pop-up shop](/sites/default/files/styles/media_component_4_3_sm/public/2023-12/Large_Web_Image-London-Made-Me_2.jpg?h=977b7068&itok=x7LoViKq)
2023 highlights and achievements
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Participants received over 1,600 hours of business support and development
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Strategic partnership opportunities
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]