Boxpark is a food and retail park made out of refitted shipping containers in Britain. [1] It was founded by Roger Wade, who described it as the "world's first pop-up mall". [1] The first Boxpark was launched in Shoreditch in 2011, another was built in Croydon next to East Croydon station in 2016, and a third opened in Wembley in late 2018. Other Boxparks are also planned for other cities and countries. [2]
According to its founder Roger Wade, who started out with the street fashion shop and label Boxfresh, [3] the idea for a shopping centre made out of shipping containers has its origin in 1999, while he was attending German trade shows with Boxfresh. For each show, he would need to build a mini shop that would then be demolished, and he wondered if he could build a trade show stand in a container that could be reused. He said: "That was the beginning of my fascination, in 1999. Years later a friend was running retail developments, so some time in 2008-09 I wondered 'why not build a whole retail development out of containers?" [1]
The first Boxpark was built in 2011 and was described "the world's first pop up mall". [4] However, by then shipping containers had already been used as pop-up shops, office and retail spaces around the world, for example the portable Puma City shop in US cities, [5] [6] and the Dordoy Bazaar in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. [7] The company has plans to expand to other countries; however, a retail park also called Boxpark that opened in Dubai is not part of this company. [8]
The first temporary shopping centre, backed by Charles Dunstone of Carphone Warehouse, was built at Bethnal Green Road on part of the former Bishopsgate goods yard in Shoreditch. [9] Boxpark opened in December 2011, [10] initially made out of 60 recycled shipping containers over two floors, with 40 in the lower floor, 20 in the upper floor. [4] [11] Originally intended to open for five years, the centre is still operating. Boxpark Shoreditch has 19 restaurants and bars and 27 shops. [1]
The Boxpark at Shoreditch was redeveloped in 2017, with the upper deck becoming the focus for street food at the venue. [2]
On 20 March 2015, it was announced that a second Boxpark would be built in Croydon to coincide with the regeneration project Croydon Vision 2020. [12] The centre was built with a £3 million loan from the Croydon Council and intended to be a temporary structure that would last for five years, until homes and offices could be developed on the site. [13] [14] The scheme was designed by BDP, and the two-storey structure is constructed out of 96 shipping containers. [15] It is in the form of a semi-enclosed market hall with units arranged around it, and provides 24,000 sq ft of retail and restaurant space, double that of Shoreditch. [12] The Boxpark in Croydon has a covered seating area, as it was found that trade dropped off during the winter months in Shoreditch when it was exposed to the elements. [14] Boxpark Croydon has 36 shop units and is focused on dining and drink outlets. [16] It opened in October 2016. [17] It also hosts events such as music performances, kickboxing and screenings of films and football matches. [18] [19] [20] The resident DJ of the Croydon is DJ Jay Knox. [21]
A third Boxpark opened near Wembley Stadium in December 2018. [22] [23] Boxpark Wembley is the largest one yet, covering a floor area of 50,000 sq ft, with a 2,000-person capacity events space. [24] Boxpark Wembley has 30 units, and 24 food and drink retail outlets have opened at the venue. As with Boxpark Croydon, the open hall/events space may be used for events such as music performances and screenings. [25] [26] It is regularly used as a fan zone for those attending football matches, concerts and other events held at Wembley. [27] [28] [29]
The first Boxpark outside London opened in the Baltic Triangle area of Liverpool on 19 April 2024. [30]
Meadowhall is an indoor shopping centre in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. It lies 3 miles (5 km) north-east of Sheffield city centre, and 2 miles (3 km) from Rotherham town centre. It is the largest shopping centre in Yorkshire, and currently the twelfth-largest in the United Kingdom. As of 2021, plans for an extension are currently under consideration, for completion in the 2020s, which would make Meadowhall the 11th biggest shopping centre in the United Kingdom.
Croydon is a large town in South London, England, 9.3 miles (15.0 km) south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London, it is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensive shopping district. The entire town had a population of 192,064 as of 2011, whilst the wider borough had a population of 384,837.
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Shipping container architecture is a form of architecture that uses steel intermodal containers as the main structural element. It is also referred to as cargotecture or arkitainer, portmanteau words formed from "cargo" and "architecture". This form of architecture is often associated with the tiny-house movement as well as the sustainable living movement.
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Coronado Center is a shopping mall in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. Built in 1965 by the Homart Development Company, a defunct real-estate division of the department store Sears, the mall has undergone several renovations and expansions in its history which have led to it becoming the largest building by area in New Mexico. Its anchor stores include Macy's, J. C. Penney, Dick's Sporting Goods, Round One Entertainment, with two vacancies formerly occupied by Sears and Kohl's. Other major tenants include Barnes & Noble, H&M, Forever 21, The Container Store, The Cheesecake Factory, and Boot Barn. The mall features over 130 stores, including a food court, and is managed by Brookfield Properties.
Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, also known as Pavilion KL, is a shopping centre situated in the Bukit Bintang district in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
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A shipping container is a container with strength suitable to withstand shipment, storage, and handling. Shipping containers range from large reusable steel boxes used for intermodal shipments to the ubiquitous corrugated boxes. In the context of international shipping trade, "container" or "shipping container" is virtually synonymous with "intermodal freight container", a container designed to be moved from one mode of transport to another without unloading and reloading.
Superdrug Stores plc is a health and beauty retailer in the United Kingdom, and the second largest behind Boots UK. The company is owned by A.S. Watson Ltd which is part of the A.S. Watson Group. It was acquired as part of the buyout of Kruidvat BV in October 2002. The A.S Watson Group is itself part of the Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutchison Holdings.
Japanese nationals residing in London, in common with members of the wider Japanese community in the United Kingdom, include business professionals and their dependents on limited term employment visas, trainees, young people participating in the UK government sponsored Youth Mobility Scheme, students, as well as Japanese emigrants and their descendants who have settled in the city.
Container Mall was a temporary mall built from shipping containers in Christchurch Central City, New Zealand. It was a response to the 22 February 2011 Christchurch earthquake, which destroyed most buildings in City Mall, and resulted in the central city being cordoned off from public access while buildings were being demolished. Initially considered a short-term response to the lack of permanent buildings, Re:START was popular with locals and tourists alike and remained open for business until January 2018.
St. Collins Lane is a shopping centre completed in 2016, designed by ARM Architecture, which stretches between Collins and Little Collins streets in Melbourne, Australia. Previously there were restaurants, arcades and hotels on the site.
Yas Mall is a mall in Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It serves as a place for shopping, dining and entertainment for residents of Abu Dhabi and Yas Island. It covers an area of approximately 235,000 square metres.
Downtown Container Park is an outdoor shopping mall and entertainment complex located in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada. The tenants are housed in metal cubes and shipping containers. The project was conceived by Tony Hsieh and his Downtown Project, a group dedicated to revitalizing the downtown area. Construction began in 2012, and the project opened on November 25, 2013, with 34 tenants. The mall includes 43 shipping containers and 41 cubes.
