The future of retail is bright, and it’s inside a shipping container!
From July 2021 onwards small business start-ups will be able to hire shipping containers around Stockholm to use as cafes or shops and it all sounds so exciting! It has been a difficult year for businesses and the flexibility of these spaces is perfect for getting smaller businesses up and running as we (hopefully) begin to emerge from the pandemic. [Photo: Regal Properties – Container Mall in NZ]
The thing that is really attractive about using shipping containers is that they can be placed anywhere and moved around easily. Plus, no building permit is needed, so the only permits needed are those which you would acquire from the traffic office for something like a food truck.
Shipping containers have been used as retail spaces in lots of other places, including in Christchurch, New Zealand where Container Mall was built to replace a mall completely destroyed by a devastating earthquake in 2011. The space became just as vibrant as it had been prior to the earthquake, and the containers were painted bright colours to lift the spirits of shoppers.
The containers could do wonders for Stockholm, bringing people back to places that they haven’t been since the beginning of the pandemic, and bringing new life to areas that have perhaps been hit hardest by lack of tourism and retail this year. We can’t wait to see these containers installed, and bringing new life to the city.