eBay to open UK concept pop-up in Midlands

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
May 10, 2019

EBay may be known globally as one of the big names in the online retail world, but the company is going to open a concept store in the UK for a limited period, populated by small businesses that it’s been working with.

The aim is that small businesses will be able to sell and showcase their products as part of a ‘retail revival’ programme to highlight the importance of omnichannel.

The store, which will be in Wolverhampton, in the Midlands, will be open for a month and will house around 40 small companies with eBay saying it aims to help "reinvent" traditional high street retailing via the retail experiment.

The e-commerce giant’s UK vice-president, Rob Hattrell, said: “The small retailers taking part in Wolverhampton’s retail revival have already shown that physical and online retail can survive, and thrive, together. They have achieved more than £2m in sales as of March and many have employed more staff as a direct result of the partnership [with eBay].”

He added: “This pop-up store aims to take that growth, and the value of this programme, to the next level. It will explore how stores of the future could combine technology with that vital human connection to powerful effect, whatever the size of the business.”