London is a great place to be in the summer – probably because we’re all just so grateful to see the sun. And brands and retailers are absolutely tapping into this with pop-ups that act as third spaces for people to hang out in.

Holland & Barrett Wellness Tap

Running from the 9th to the 10th July in Clerkenwell, the Wellness Tap reimagined the London pub experience for the wellness crowd. Instead of the usual fare of pints and pork scratchings, the pop-up offered free, non-alcoholic, hydration pints and healthy snacks with a side of nutrition talks.

Holland & Barrett, like many other retailers, has spotted an opportunity in consumers’ growing interest in wellness. Adjacent to but separate from beauty, wellness is tied up in health and aging and mindset, which are increasingly under the microscope in a social media-focused world.

What consumers want is to be able to integrate wellness into their normal lives rather than completely overhauling how they live. So, it’s a smart move to take a classic third space, the pub, and tailor it to this audience.

Selfridges FIFA 1904 World Cup

Selfridges rarely, if ever, misses with its pop-ups and its FIFA 1904 World Cup pop-up is another brilliant example.

It’s a celebratory concept that supports the mass interest in the World Cup by giving fans a space to come together and engage in the story of the 2026 competition, as well as the event’s long history.

Visitors can explore exclusive content from the FIFA Museum in Zurich, which is a draw for those who haven’t been to the museum and maybe never will. Selfridges has also created an area for fans to sit and watch World Cup matches.

And for a new retail element, the pop-up also showcases the first-ever official FIFA-licensed fashion collection, FIFA 1904, designed by Marcus Clayton, the Creative Director of Maison Kitsuné.

It’s smart positioning for Selfridges, which always feels like the most ‘accessible’ of London’s big department stores. This is the place you come to skateboard and watch football and not feel out of place.

Image credit – Ralph Lauren

Ralph Lauren Summer of Spot

Major cultural events are a great way to capitalise on existing consumer attention. People also love to come together around them.

Ralph Lauren’s Summer of Sport pop-up in Sloane Square was a celebration of the British sporting summer staple Wimbledon. As the first and only designer in the history of Wimbledon to be an official outfitter, Ralph Lauren used this pop-up to cement that connection in the public’s mind.

Running for a full month, the pop-up created a mini village of cafe, retail spaces, and the central RL Clubhouse. Offering events and workshops aimed at the whole family, the Clubhouse also acted as a viewing platform for tennis fans to come together and watch live screenings of the matches.

It’s a great example of how brands can create spaces that facilitate existing consumer behaviours.

Image credit – Virgin Atlantic Holidays

Virgin Atlantic Holidays Heart + Seoul

Consumers love all things Korean – look at K-beauty and K-pop for a start – so it makes sense for a travel retailer to find a way to take advantage of that.

What we really liked about Virgin Atlantic Holidays’ recent London pop-up is that it wasn’t just a normal store advertising holidays to Korea. Instead, the company took one aspect of the country – in this case the food – and created an experience that gave prospective travellers a taste of it.

Heart + Seoul was a two-night pop-up Korean supper club in Shoreditch that got every detail right. Virgin flew over Park Mak-rye, aka Korea Grandma, a beloved cultural icon who is known for her home cooking and sharing Korean traditions, to host the event. The pop-up adopted the communal dining approach that is common in Korea and aimed to be affordable at £30 a head. Visitors could also win a holiday to Korea.

And of course, nothing compares to the real thing which made the pop-up a great advert for Virgin’s new direct flight to Seoul.

Westfield Stratford City Reloved Market

Summer is all about festivals and for many music fans this means shopping for new outfits. And for a lot of those fans, these festival looks will be worn once and then discarded.

It’s a market that is ripe for sustainable options and Reloved Market was a great one. For four days, fashion fans could shop second-hand clothes curated by Shelter in response to four key festival trends identified by professional stylists.

Shoppers of all ages and income brackets are turning to second-hand marketplaces like Vinted and Depop to buy and sell clothing. Resale is cool but the volume of options can be overwhelming. Curation feels like the next step for consumers who are used to seeing put together outfits on social media.