Pop-ups are one of the most popular retail formats, being used by brands for particular campaigns, to test out the popularity of locations, and to connect with new customers. Additionally, wider events like the Olympics are often a great opportunity to bring temporary retail spaces to life.

This year has seen an eclectic variety of pop-ups from a range of different types of brands. Christmas usually inspires an even greater number of pop-ups, so before we get too festive, let’s take a look back at some of the favourite pop-ups we’ve found this year.

Read on for pop-ups themed around ice cubes, fragrance portals, galleries, supermarkets and even fish and chips!

 

1. Hôtel Onitsuka Tiger, Paris

The Olympics provided an opportunity for innovative retail, especially for sports brands. Onitsuka Tiger has an Olympic heritage and created a pop-up to celebrate (and to tease a new 2025 store).

The footwear brand took over a historic building near Avenue des Champs-Élysées to deliver an immersive experience, with splashes of yellow. While visitors could not book into the hotel, they could explore different themed rooms to see an archive of Onitsuka shoes, a photo exhibition depicting the brand’s history, and an installation of the brand’s founder. There were also performances by pianist Yuja Wang and art from Yutaro Inagaki, amongst others.

Finally, visitors could relax in the Yellow Tiger Café for the Japanese culinary experience, run by Michelin chef Yoji Tokuyoshi.

 

2. REWORK Tokyo Design Centre, Tokyo

Sustainable design brand Space Available and sportswear brand Goldwin collaborated on a pop-up in Tokyo called REWORK.

The space was conceived as a “living workshop” to showcase plastic recycling and upcycling and how these can be designed into new objects. The workshop was also the host for a series of workshops on circular design. These included Daniel Mitchell from Space Available talking about how to recycle waste products and an upcycling workshop in collaboration with Greater Goods.

The workshop also had objects and clothing available to purchase including a Space Available x Goldwin collection, which used only recycled and upcycled items.

 

3. The RealReal, New York

An educational pop-up launched in New York which did not sell any items!

The RealReal, an online store for the reselling of luxury products, wanted to provoke a conversation about real and fake goods. They took over a space and designed an installation that would showcase the issues with fake products, which the company and other resellers spend time removing from the market.

The window display contained authentic looking fake bags to encourage visitors to decide whether those items were real and fake. Ultimately, The RealReal hoped that it would inspire people to bring in any fake items that they themselves own. For those who did bring in counterfeit goods, there was an opportunity to win a genuine authentic luxury bag.

 

4. Bal Harbour Pop-up Mall, USA

Open air shopping centre Bal Harbour, owned by the Whitman family, created a new pop-up concept called Access to bring luxury to consumers who lived too far away from its stores.

The Access pop-up was potentially the first large-scale travelling pop-up, involving a large number of shipping containers that could be taken from place to place, visiting Raleigh and Sarasota amongst others. The containers were arranged around a courtyard, with palm trees and ponds, and included a heavily curated selection of 10 luxury shops as well as a restaurant. Brands participating included Tiffany & Co, James Perse, Balmain and Frette.

Customers who visited the pop-up were provided with a personal shopper to escort them around the space and help them find products. Bal Harbour hoped that customers would build relationships with these personal shoppers and make plans to visit the Bal Harbour Shops in the future.

 

5. Aesop Women’s Library, China

Beauty brand Aesop opened a series of pop-ups dedicated to books at three of its stores in Guangzhou and Shanghai.

The Aesop Women’s Library was launched to coincide with International Women’s Day and celebrated the writing of women and books focused on women. The stores removed all other beauty products and instead added a selection of books curated by Dr Shen Qilan, along with other writers and critics. There were 45 books available for visitors to choose from, as well as a series of sessions where excerpts would be read.

Visitors were able to select a free book as long as they registered as an Aesop member. The books were limited edition with a stamp relating to the store they had come from.

 

6. Descente, Shanghai

Descente, an outdoor brand, launched both a physical space and pop-up at the same time.

The pop-up was called Ice Cube and the theme was designed to complement the concept of the main store, which was based around the idea of shikumen, a style of housing that blends Western and Chinese details.

Ice Cube contained a number of art installations and digital projections, focused on ice and snow. The pop-up was attended by William Chan, an actor and ambassador for the Descente brand. Visitors could also purchase a number of Descente products from the pop-up shop.

 

7. Memo Paris, Seoul

A hotel-themed pop-up store called Memo Grand Hotel was created by French perfume brand Memo Paris.

The space recreated the interior and feel of a French style hotel, with a lobby, concierge desk, lounge and casino for visitors to explore. Upon arrival, customers were issued with a “check in” card, which the concierge desk personalised with their name, date of visit and the location. The card was used to collect stamps in the pop-up for entry to the secret casino.

Other spaces included testers for the Cappadocia Ode perfume, released to coincide with the pop-up launch, and other limited edition items. A photo area and booth for printed photos allowed customers to take pictures for social media. Finally, the casino offered a variety of prizes including perfume, vouchers and other exclusive gifts.

 

8. Uniqlo Furugi Project, Tokyo

Sustainability was the focus for this pop-up from fashion retailer Uniqlo, which opened over spring and summer.

The store offered used Uniqlo items that were only slightly worn for purchase, along with a selection of upcycled products with a vintage look (from dyeing and washing). The clothing was offered at affordable prices, though the upcycled items were more expensive.

Customers could also visit the store with their old Uniqlo clothing for a variety of restoration services. These included repairs, remaking items and embroidery, including Japanese sashiko embroidery.

 

9. Charlotte Tilbury, London

Charlotte Tilbury, the UK beauty brand, opened a pop-up in London to launch its debut fragrance collection.

The perfume range is called Fragrance Collection of Emotions and the brand designed a pop-up to explore the Future of Fragrance. The collection includes six fragrances, such as seduction and empowerment, and these each had a sensory area in the store.

The fragrances were designed using scientific data by fragrance company IFF. They explored billions of data points to understand how people responded to different fragrances, and how they could affect their emotions. Visitors to the pop-up received personalised recommendations and free samples based on the algorithm created by IFF, the IFF ScentCube.

 

10. Benefit X Selfridges, London

Benefit Cosmetics partnered with Selfridges to create a fun supermarket pop-up called the Benemart.

The bright pink space was designed to look like a grocery store, with a checked floor and pink shelving. There were also retro store signs and pink baskets to fully immerse the customer in the supermarket theme.

Customers were able to purchase special grocery-themed beauty products, which were limited edition at that location, and came in a variety of food-themed packaging. These included the Lookin’ Crisp makeup bag, Soup’d Up Beauty, which came in a can, and Whole Latte Lashes, which was shaped like a coffee cup.

 

11. Levi’s, Seoul

This summer, Levi’s launched its first standalone pop-up in Korea, called Authenticity.

The space had three floors with an industrial aesthetic alongside nostalgic touches (such as a wall display of vinyl records). One area was a room in Levi’s signature red colour, which had a 180 degree camera for visitors to take images for social media. A number of Korean celebrities, such as actor Go Kyung-pyo, Seugli from Red Velvet and Chaeyoung from TWICE, visited the store opening, increasing its popularity.

Products available included limited edition products from celebrities that had been customised, and a collection of denim items from Japan, which are very popular in Korea. Customers were also able to use a customisation area to add studs, patches and stamps to their items. Additionally, Levi’s offered free denim wallets to customers who visited the pop-up, and this item became highly coveted, reselling online for large sums of money.

 

12. Jellycat, global

Popular plushie brand Jellycat launched a number of food-themed pop-ups in cities across the world in 2024.

The London pop-up was located in Selfridges and incorporated a fish and chips theme. The store design had a retro aesthetic in the blue Jellycat brand colour and included a Fish & Chip van.

The pop-up offered exclusive new fish and chip themed characters that were available only for the duration of the pop-up. Customers who purchased these also received a pack including stickers and pins of the new characters, other personalised stickers, and a newspaper gift bag that featured Jellycat news and crosswords. More themed characters were available to buy at Selfridges, reflecting the “trimmings” that can accompany fish and chips.

In addition, visitors were able to have photos taken with popular Jellycat character Timmy Turtle and newly introduced Charlie Chip.

 

13. Snap Street, London

Social media app Snapchat partnered with a number of brands and retailers to deliver Snap Street, an immersive experience in Brick Lane. The brand turned a building into an indoor street and collaborated with Depop, Boots and Cosmopolitan to demonstrate Snapchat’s augmented reality (AR).

The Depop space had a claw machine for shoppers to win sustainable fashion pieces and Depop branded products, and a personalised charm from popular Depop seller SantexSante. There was also a special Snapchat x Depop mirror for customers to further explore Depop.

Customers visiting the Boots store were able to purchase products from up and coming beauty brands, and look in Snapchat x Boots mirrors to test out AR makeup. They could also have hair and makeup appointments with stylists  using popular products by Kerastase and Drunk Elephant.

Finally, the Cosmopolitan stand offered free copies of Cosmo to customers, a chance to find out what life at a beauty magazine is like, and a Cosmo x Snapchat AR lens for visitors to pose for a Cosmo front cover.

 

14. H&M, New York

October saw the arrival of the H&M pop-up which is open until 29 December.

The store is a bold red immersive space, featuring installations and music, and designs from the Perron-Roettinger Studio. The pop-up has featured a number of events and activations in-store, including free sessions with BlingbyBianca, who creates and applies tooth gems. There have also been essential oil workshops, aroma sessions and personalised scent creation.

Upcoming events include a specially curated session by H&M and Comfort Magazine, which explores fashion through rare books and magazines.

 

15. Netflix, UK

Streaming brand Netflix partnered with UK mental health charity Mind on a pop-up called As Seen on Netflix.

The pop-up was located in both London and Birmingham with all proceeds going to Mind to fund its work. The store contained a number of items from popular Netflix shows, including wardrobe, props and memorabilia. These items included signed scripts, the jeans worn by Princess Diana in The Crown, Benedict Cumberbatch’s Levi’s from the show Eric, and Top Boy hoodies. The space also included a replica of one of the bedrooms from Heartstopper, which was launching its third season.

Mind also ran an online auction with further items such as the Lady Whistledown papers from Bridgerton, a Jeff Goldblum signed Casio watch from Kaos, and the bikes ridden by Otis and Eric in Sex Education.

 

16. Decathlon, London

World Cleanup Day was the theme for the pop-up from sportswear brand Decathlon in partnership with Planet Patrol, a UK non-profit focused on protecting UK waterways.

The brand set up a store called Rentals for Rubbish, where people could sign up to take part in a litter picking event at Limehouse Basin. Customers signing up would be able to receive a voucher to use Decathlon’s sports equipment for free, including bikes and paddle boards.

To encourage people to behave sustainably and clean their local areas, the brand also held a nationwide event for customers using the Planet Patrol app, where picking litter would earn discounts for rental equipment.

 

17. LEGO Superpower Studios (Atelier des Super-Pouvoirs), Paris

LEGO recently launched a report and campaign Play is Your Superpower, along with a pop-up experience at a theatre in France.

The company has found that children spend less time playing, particularly with adults. The Superpower Studios aimed to create a free gallery space for children to explore different types of play.

On entering the studios, visitors were greeted with a series of blank boards surrounded by frames, so that they could create self-portraits from bricks. The studio then included a series of rooms inspired by the work of three artists (and Lego Global Play Ambassadors).

The Forest of Wishes installation, bathed in vibrant pink lighting, featured intricate brightly coloured sculptures inspired by Chen Fenwan and her paper-cut art. The Mythical Maze was a jungle space featuring sculptures made entirely from black brick by Ekow Nimako. Finally, The Remix Room featured the animation of Aurélia Durand, with digital screens around each wall, and touchscreens for children to play collaborative games.

 

18. Vans, New York

Skate company Vans held a Vans pop-up event in Brooklyn at its skate park.

The Vans Block Party was held to celebrate skate culture and connect with the New York skate community. Visitors were able to take part in a skate session and also meet members of the Vans Skateboarding team, including Zion Wright, Ben Kadow and Beatrice Domond. The Vans Skateboarding Team also took part in a skate session.

Visiting skaters were able to take part in competitions, including receiving cash for skate tricks, and giveaways from a variety of other skate shops such as Tenant and KCDC. The Off The Wall market was stocked with items from other popular skate brands such as Homerun, FTI and LQQK Studio.

In the evening, the space was turned into a rave featuring music from DJs Jubilee and HiTech.

 

19. Beyond Yoga, New York

Sportswear brand Beyond Yoga launched a pop-up in October called Club Beyond.

The pop-up contained its biggest collection of clothing, with new range Spacedye, as well as lifestyle fleeces and outerwear. Customisation and personalisation was also available for the Spacedye range, and selected items from the womenswear and menswear collections.

Visitors to the pop-up were able to take part in a range of classes offered by the brand and its partners, such as Ngo Okafor and Melissa Wood-Tepperberg. Classes were booked online and included body sculpting, community walks, yoga and soundbathing. Visitors could also collect gift bags, get their hair styled at the bun and braid bar, and choose from wellness snacks and treats.

 

20. Kenshi Yonezu x Kiosk-o-thèque, Los Angeles

To celebrate the release of his album, Lost Corner, Japanese music artist Kenshi Yonezu hosted a unique pop-up on Sunset Boulevard.

To complement the themes of the album, about the meaning of lost items and memory, the musician took over Kiosk-o-theque with a junkyard theme. The artist was also influenced by sustainability and reuse.

Silver packages were spread all around as if they were discarded rubbish. Fans were able to look through to find Lost Corner merchandise, as well as items of clothing from art collective MSCHF. Visitors were able to purchase a token for $25 and then choose a mystery product.