Unique pop-up event turns shopping into an art form at Goodwood

Celebrating their tenth year, they are determined to show that shopping doesn’t have to be a chore. It really ought to be celebrated as an artform.

So says Emma Schwarz who is delighted to mark ten years of unique, bespoke, pop-up shopping.

This year’s Goodwood Christmas Market (www.therarebrandmarket.co.uk) – running on November 21, 22 and 23 – is billed as a marketplace for inspiration, a hub of ideas to celebrate the best products not found easily on every high street.

“We have been running the Christmas markets for ten years now, nine of them within the Goodwood estate, and the pop-up retail sector is really vibrant right now, really because of the thirst in this particular part of the country for something different. So many people are wanting access to good-quality, rare, independent brands, and those brands are incredibly strong in this area. We tried Winchester, and it is certainly not as strong as here.

“My feeling is that there is a complex array of factors here, such as the proximity to London and also such a good choice around here. The choice on the high street is very dominated by the large brands, and I think that creates a huge gap when it comes to Christmas shopping for the discerning customer who doesn’t want to go to the chain stores, for the people that really want to consider the purchases that they are making.

“But actually I would say that in my markets, only 60 per cent of the spend is on presents; 40 per cent of it is people buying for themselves. It is not just about people ticking off things on their Christmas lists.