A pop-up micro-retail destination has opened its doors in Cardiff.
CO.LAB, which has launched in St David’s Dewi Sant and is a collaboration between Landsec and Lone Design Club, is designed to utilise large retail spaces and support innovative direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands.
It has transformed a 5,000-square-foot space into a shopping destination where more than 80 brands can test, experiment, and grow. It features bespoke, shop-in-shop concession units designed to each brand's individual style, a shared event space, and a low-cost, community-focused model to facilitate the physical retail presence of emerging brands.
The shared multi-use event space is designed for product launches, customer engagement events, and immersive experiences.
Lone Design Club’s Founder and CEO, Rebecca Morter, said:
“Having supported over 3,000 brands into retail locations across the past six years at Lone Design Club, we saw the need for easier access, relevant and community-driven spaces. Opening a store is no easy feat, and often, we forget the marketing and community essential to its success. Co.Lab not only creates a stepping stone retail journey for the most exciting DTC brands to test and try, but it gives more – a fully fledged events programme, a sense of place and community; it gives a physical home to these brands' digital communities.”
Landsec Brand Director Ilana Sarner said:
“We’re excited to build on our partnership with LDC to create Co.Lab and welcome a new roster of DTC brands. This is a new way of retailing, where we bring together a community of brands to offer unique experiences to our customers. By giving these future-thinking brands a stepping stone into physical retail, we’re not only opening up an opportunity for an exciting new pipeline but also offering our guests a new point of discovery.”
The initiative is set to run until December 29.
