Co-op targets festivals with custom-built pop-up store

The Co-op’s food retail division is to this August revive its pop-up shop – in a much-expanded form – at the Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival where it originated.

Joe Gibbs of Belladrum Festival (left) with Alasdair Fowle of the Co-op. Picture: contributed.

It comes as the business looks to reach more than 500,000 people over the summer with pop-up stores at eight festivals.

Belladrum’s Co-op shop is now in its fifth year, having evolved from a 600 square foot tent to a 3,000 sq ft custom-built wooden barn, with more than 200 products on sale, more tills and longer opening hours plus reverse vending machines to increase plastic recycling.

Co-op partnerships and events manager Alasdair Fowle said: “Belladrum is a special place for us here at Co-op, as it’s where we trialled our first ever festival pop-up, which has formed a successful blueprint for all our current and future festival activity.”

The Co-op group – encompassing food, funerals and insurance – saw revenues leap 14 per cent to £10.2 billion in the year to 5 January. Like-for-like food sales rose by 4.4 per cent.