The new outlets would be seen as a way of tackling vacancy rates in key areas and providing a springboard for businesses to take their ideas from their homes to the high street.
It would cost the council £40,000 over two financial years to deliver and will be marketed as the Makers Support Programme.
Initially, the idea is that it would focus on the Tier 1 towns – Armagh, Banbridge, Dromore, Lurgan and Portadown – but the borough-wide pop-up shop initiative could be extended under a second phase, “based on demand from makers across other rural towns and villages”.
Rental of the pop-up shop units would be co-funded, with the selected sellers making contributions too.
It is described in a report as being aimed at artisan food, fashion and craft producers.
However, Head of Economic Development Nicola Wilson – in response to a question by Councillor Joy Ferguson – clarified that it would also include artists, many of whom struggled to find space to display their artwork, according to the Alliance representative.
“Anyone that has something they produce and they want to sell it and they want to scale it – and it is legal – we would allow them on the programme,” Ms Wilson confirmed.
The idea is to start with 50 micro-businesses, which would eventually be reduced to 30, with the overall aim of seeing six pop-up shops open in each of the five identified areas. It would also see a number of vacant premises “revitalised and rebranded” to meet the programme’s needs.
According to a report to ABC Council’s Economic Committee on Tuesday, it follows on from a series of Artisan Food & Craft Markets, which “demonstrated strong footfall and community engagement”.
The report explains: “The Makers Support Programme will initially support up to 50 micro-businesses across the entire borough, including businesses based in smaller towns and villages.
“Participants will receive tailored assistance through the Go Succeed Programme, which offers up to 10 hours of support for new start-ups and up to 21 hours for growth-stage businesses. The support will cover a range of areas including business planning, legal compliance, product development, export readiness, recruitment, digital marketing and access to finance.
“A further component of the programme involves the establishment of a borough-wide business network for makers. This network will serve as a platform for collaboration, knowledge exchange and supply chain development. It will also provide opportunities for skills enhancement and peer learning, helping businesses to identify new markets and strengthen their operational resilience.”
The goal is for “a range of pop-up shops across the borough, through a phased approach in both urban and rural towns and villages”.
The pop-up shops would “operate for a minimum period of 12 months” and “offer a shared retail environment for businesses specialising in artisan food, fashion and crafts”.
The report continues: “Rent and rates will be subsidised through a co-funding model involving the council, local enterprise partners and the participating businesses.
“The initiative is designed to reduce vacancy rates in town centres, increase footfall, and provide micro-businesses with a pathway to a permanent retail presence. Officers and enterprise partners are currently reviewing suitable premises in each town, with typical unit costs estimated at approximately £1,000 per month, excluding rates.
“The financial model will be structured to ensure affordability for participating businesses while maintaining sustainability for the council and its partners.”
Nicola Wilson, Head of Economic Development, presented the report to committee on Tuesday and elaborated on the benefits.
She told the meeting: “This is a programme that we would really like to run for the borough, to try to move makers and people that are maybe making things in their own back yards or in their own sheds etc., moving them into premises so that they can scale and grow their business.
“We are calling this a pilot initiative and we are using a number of measurable outcomes to evaluate the success of the programme. The programme will accommodate up to 50 micro-businesses across the whole borough – urban, rural, everywhere – which will receive tailored support via the Go Succeed Programme. That would offer up to 10 hours for start-ups and 21 hours for growth-stage businesses as well.
“Of that 50, 30 new makers would be enabled to scale and grow their business, gaining retail experience in high street locations across the borough’s town centres. We know that the 50 will probably move to 30 because there’s always drop-off in numbers as well.”
She added: “After the businesses have gone through their training, we are hoping to put them into pop-up shops, so we are looking at vacant retail premises. We are looking to rebrand and revitalise these as pop-up shops, and that would contribute to town and village centre regeneration and increase footfall as well.”
Describing it as a “circular-type programme”, Ms Wilson explained: “It starts off with training and development, moves into pop-up shops, then moves into a network we can build on afterwards.”
DUP Councillor Ian Wilson welcomed the programme and proposed accepting the report.
“It’s good to see that the council is now supporting some artisan producers and bringing a wee bit of uniqueness to our towns,” he said.
However, Councillor Wilson felt it needed to be more geographically inclusive.
“The Tier 1 towns, yes, it’s fantastic to bring it to them, but the next phase is vitally important for our smaller towns,” he said. “It could bring a bit more life to them and support the local communities. A lot of these artisan producers are living in rural areas and maybe from an agricultural background.
“I’m just thinking of my own DEA – you’ve Rathfriland, Gilford – where there’d be a prime opportunity for some local crafts or producers to avail of this scheme.
“This is welcome, but I think if we can get this up and running, the second phase would be vitally important too for smaller rural towns.”
An Ulster Unionist councillor seconded the recommendation to proceed, stating: “If it revitalises a village or a town centre, then it’s something we should be working hard on.”
