Small businesses or artisan producers just starting out, or groups looking to stage small events such as arts and crafts sales or photography and art showings, can now test the water as a range of pop-up stalls becomes available in a new dedicated area of Norwich Market.
The stalls are a great way for small innovative producers, who don’t have suitable permanent premises of their own, to have the use of a city centre location to make retail sales on an occasional basis without the cost and commitment of a long-term lease, helping to build their brand and find out whether a permanent stall on the market might be right for them.
Anyone taking on a pop-up stall has the advantage of having visibility in the centre of Norwich’s busiest shopping district at an ionic location which attracts shoppers from around the county and beyond. An attractive and vibrant mix of food, crafts, flowers and services, Norwich Market is one of the oldest and largest outdoor markets in the country. It has 189 stalls which trade from Monday to Saturday, with a handful opening on Sundays.
To add to the eclectic range of goods already available, the market is offering six single and one double pop-up pitches which are ready immediately – with the potential of two to four more pitches becoming available shortly. The pop-ups can be leased on a 14-day rental basis, operating from Monday to Sunday for two consecutive weeks.
Councillor Adam Giles, cabinet member for communities and social inclusion, said: “Norwich Market is excited to offer these new pop-up units on short term two-week leases within a new dedicated area of the permanent market. Our city and county is home to so many fantastic local producers of everything from artisan food and drinks to wonderful arts, crafts, clothing and jewellery products. The new pop-ups are not intended in any way to supplant our wide array of permanent stalls, but rather to bring an added flavour of the diverse talents and produce available locally, and to give an opportunity to small businesses or enterprises just starting out.”
Applications should be made at www.norwich.gov.uk/popup and will be welcomed from independent traders, local artisans and producers of clothing, antiques, collectables, toys, art, crafts, home furnishings and more. Groups and collectives wishing to use all or a number of the pop-up stalls for an event, such as a mini fair or festival to showcase wares, are also welcome.
Each pop-up stall is part of the permanent structure of Norwich Market and measures 7.5ft deep with a 9.5ft wide frontage (see image). Freshly-decorated, they come as a white-washed empty shell so traders will need to supply their own decorative signs (nothing can be permanently fixed to the inside or outside of the stall) and bring their own tables, chairs and display furniture. Electricity is included in the rental price and the stalls have electric roller shutters at the front and shutters or sliding doors on the sides.
The market operates a balance of trade policy in order to avoid too much duplication of goods and services offered on the permanent stalls, and applicants for the pop-up pitches are encouraged to look at the Norwich Market stalls directory at www.norwich.gov.uk/
Facilities within the pop-ups do not make it possible for food to be prepared on-site, but applications from vendors of pre-packaged food would be considered, subject to their product being prepared at premises registered with a minimum food safety rating of three stars.
