Amazon might be the biggest e-commerce company in the world, with a presence in almost all markets imaginable, and it is currently one of the globe’s most recognizable brands in the sector. However, it is also true that the company has also given thousands of online retailers a platform on which they can sell their products to Amazon’s vast pool of customer, and now the company is going to bring those retailers to the United Kingdom’s famous high streets with the help of pop up shops. The high streets in the UK have been going through turmoil for quite a while, and some of the most respected names like Debenhams and Marks & Spencer are closing departmental stores at an alarming rate, amid shrinking earnings.
In such a situation, Amazon has decided to allow around 100 online businesses to set up their own pop-up stores in the high streets and sell directly to customers in the UK. Amazon has branded these stores as ‘Clicks and Mortar’ and the first set of 10 stores is going to be open up in Manchester. The products on show are going to be electronics, food, drinks, home furnishing, healthcare, and beauty. The company has been working with the British small business support body Enterprise Nation on the initiative and will present their findings after the pilot is completed.
Doug Gurr, who is the country manager for Amazon in the UK, stated,
Small businesses are one of our most important customer groups, and we’re thrilled to work with Enterprise Nation to design a comprehensive package to help entrepreneurs across the UK grow their businesses, both in-store and online.
Last but not the least, it is a bit ironic that the British high street is now being a helping hand by Amazon, considering the fact that the company had been instrumental in the decline of most of the storied departmental stores in the country. That being said, it is also important to point out that the company is also going to spend £1 million in its efforts to train as many as 150 apprentices so that small businesses can continue to grow.
