Member Article

Elite Barbers expands into Birmingham with new pop up shop

Midlands hair specialist, Elite Barbers, has signed a deal with Worcestershire pop up shop supplier Rapid Retail, which has led to the chain opening its first Birmingham outlet.

Rapid Retail has designed and built a portable shop for Elite Barbers, which has been installed at The Fort shopping park. It is open seven days a week and offers the full range of male grooming services, including haircuts for both adults and children, shaves and beard trims.

The new shop is the latest edition to owner Phil Hart’s portfolio and replicates the look and feel of established sites operating in Lichfield and Burntwood. With the pop up concept already proving a success, Phil now plans to expand even further, with an additional shop already in the pipeline.

According to Phil, going down the portable shop route has had many benefits and enabled the company to take a prime location at the busy shopping centre. He said: “We had been searching for a suitable location for a new shop for quite some time and when this opportunity came up at The Fort, we jumped at the chance. The centre is well known and achieves footfall of around 120,000, so the potential market was there.

“The idea of having a pop up barbers shop really appealed to me. It has many advantages, not only in cost and the time taken to get up and running, but in enabling us to locate ourselves within an environment, where we are visible and can make the most of all passing trade. We’re getting the full benefit of the high footfall, without facing the costs that an internal shop unit tenancy would command.”

Phil added: “We’re extremely pleased with the end result. The unit looks fantastic and the service we have received from Rapid Retail has been outstanding. The concept of pop up retail really works and we’re the proof! It has provided us with a sustainable, and importantly affordable, route to market.”

Measuring 6m x 3.6m, the pop up shop comes complete with four hairdressing stations and a waiting area.

Nick Daffern, managing director of Rapid Retail, commented: “We have been supporting customers to achieve their retail ambitions for more than 10 years now, but it still brings a smile to my face to see our finished units in action.

“The Elite Barbers pop up shop looks fantastic. It is enticing to passing trade, but robust and highly secure when not in use. It is yet another example of how flexible the portable shop build concept is, being quick to design and build, and perfect for use in any available space.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Rapid Retail .