First pop-up mall 90% let ahead of opening

Boxpark - which is the brainchild of Roger Wade, founder of streetwear brand Boxfresh - comprises 60 shipping containers that act as stores and is focused on brands rather than high street chains.

The development, in Shoreditch, is now 90% let, ahead of Wade’s target this far from the opening.

About a third of the units will be dedicated to cafes and galleries and the rest will be for retail.

Ward said there were more than the allotted 40 brands vying for space in the mall and added he was now looking at the brand mix to decide which sit well together.

Brands already signed up include Oakley, Religion, Vans, Elvis Jesus, and Franklin & Marshall.

Wade said: “People have been looking for something new and in the Shoreditch area there isn’t a place you can get all these brands under one roof. [Brands] realise this location is great and they understand the consumer will like it.”

He said the offer of one-year leases and planned Boxpark events such as a trade show helped ignite interest.

Wade added: “Where we’ve been particularly successful is with the sportswear brands. All of them want to have a presence out in the east for the Olympics.”

Brands including Nike, Gola, Le Coq Sportif and designer collaboration Puma by Hussein Chalayan have signed up.

Boxpark will open for a minimum of five years and tenants will be able to operate stores for all or part of that time. Most units will be 300 sq ft, but a few brands will be allowed to knock multiple units together to create larger spaces.

Wade has said he hopes to replicate the Shoreditch Boxpark in other UK cities and worldwide.

Property agent Briant Champion Long is the letting agent for Boxpark.