Italian chef Massimo Bottura’s six-course meal pop-ups in India have been a roaring success for three consecutive years now—but not without good reason.
Firstly, Bottura’s pop-ups feature his iconic dishes, such as the ‘Oops I Dropped the Lemon Tart’ and ‘The Crunchy Part of the Lasagne’, from his thrice Michelin-starred restaurant, Osteria Francescana, in Modena, Italy—an outlet that remains sold out most times of the year.
Secondly, the cross-cultural, one-on-one experiences with chefs like Bottura, whose genuine appreciation for India’s culture and cuisine is evident with every visit, are priceless, not to forget his ‘magic’ of turning leftovers and everyday ingredients into delicious meals.
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And thirdly, all his pop-ups rake in the moolah—the meals can cost as much as Rs 55,555-plus-taxes per person—as well as exclusivity and excitement, being served only to a select group of well-heeled diners.
Like Bottura, chef Gaggan Anand’s pop-ups are also much appreciated for bringing his offerings of modern Indian food from his eponymous restaurant in Bangkok to a new set of audience. In India, he has hosted one-night dinners at places like Sette Mara, The St Regis Mumbai; The Ritz-Carlton, Bengaluru; and JW Marriott, Kolkata.
Similarly, in April, chef Varun Totlani of Mumbai’s Masque hosted a two-day pop-up at The Westin Gurgaon, New Delhi, bringing the Masque version of his puran poli with amti and green peas, jicama with a coconut malai momo and passion fruit thukpa, barbecue sweet potato with tangy tamarind and crispy rice to his Delhi patrons. Around the same time, at AnnaMaya, Andaz Delhi, sous chef Nguyen Thi Lua and chef Anh Thi Vo brought the taste of Vietnam from Hyatt Regency Danang for a Vietnamese pop-up with pancakes, seafood spring rolls, spice lamb skewers, chicken bread and more.
Pop-ups have been a win-win for both guests as well as hosts in the world of restaurants, hotels and fine-dining establishments. However, of late, the trend of hosting these temporary, experience-driven events is going beyond food to include art, fashion and lifestyle, as the format finds favour for creating a sense of exclusivity and urgency, attracting attendees who want to be part of something unique and fleeting, and thereby bringing in the moolah as well as matter.
Transforming businesses
“Food pop-ups are meant to transform businesses, boost revenue and enhance guest experiences with diversified offerings while the collaboration with renowned restaurants attracts new footfall. Our experimentation with cuisines, chefs and concepts has showcased our adaptability and innovation in pop-ups, keeping us ahead of trends and reinforcing our reputation as a brand,” says chef Amit Dash, multi-property executive chef, The Westin Gurgaon, New Delhi & The Westin Sohna Resort and Spa.
Entrepreneurs like Avni Biyani of Foodstories, an omnichannel food platform launched earlier this year in Delhi, have found a deeper narrative around food. “India’s relationship with food has evolved in the past few years and redefined the way India shops, consumes and experiences food. We explore food in a more meaningful way, connect with those who grow their ingredients and discover hidden stories around what they eat,” says Biyani, who has collaborated with brands like The Bombay Canteen, Maska Bakery, Brown Koji Boy and several other home-run bakeries for retail pop-up experiences.
Globally, it’s a growing phenomenon for brands. In the past, Dior Beauty set up a weekend pop-up fragrance installation to celebrate the launch of the new Miss Dior Eau de Parfum. The pop-up was organised both in-person and virtually in New York, Los Angeles, to engage with consumers without a permanent brick-and-mortar retail space.
Pop-ups also help in testing new markets without the need for opening a traditional store, and understanding the concept. Both Chanel and Dior have organised summer pop-ups accessible to consumers who can travel to a destination. Dior showcased the French Riviera-inspired Dioriviera collection at Gurney’s Montauk Resort & Seawater Spa in New York featuring designs from Maria Grazia Chiuri’s Dioriviera capsule collection, and a pop-up bar with Dior-inspired cocktails made with LVMH wines and spirits.
In India, brands such as Shoppers Stop, The Good Glamm Group and L’Occitane are organising pop-ups to foster immersive experiences and ignite excitement around offerings. “The plan is to leverage pop-ups to engage intimately and provide immersive brand experiences. We plan events strategically, often aligning with key seasons or events to maximise engagement and capitalise on the temporary nature of pop-up stores, fostering exclusivity and urgency in purchasing,” says Simi Dewan, country head, L’Occitane India.
“Through strategic locations, unique experiences, and limited-time offers, we craft memorable moments that resonate with the audience and cultivate strong brand affinity. What makes a pop-up successful is its ability to create buzz, and drive foot traffic,” says Biju Kassim, CEO of beauty, Shoppers Stop.
Similarly, for platforms like Royal Fables, pop-ups bring a collective display of creative crafts, culture and cuisines made by the royals themselves. “Everyone loves a royal story, our vision is to present the crafts, culture and cuisines of the royal families, who are true custodians of their refined culture,” says Anshu Khanna, fashion commentator, publicist and founder of Royal Fables, who has been organising pop-ups since 2010, and is planning to host five pop-ups in the next eight months in various cities in India, and a trunk show in the US.
Serving many purposes
Amid the huge clutter in the luxury industry, Khanna of Royal Fables feels brands are also able to interact with a cross section of audience and showcase their spirit at a very small cost. “Given the intimate size of our shows and the sheer luxury of mounting it, we spend a lot on decor, the dinners and mounting of the event. Still we are able to save nearly 40% of the money raised, which ranges between Rs 20 lakh and Rs 40 lakh and we count that as our curatorial fees,” shares Khanna, whose business model is based on a fee charged for the salon space booked and the money raised from a sponsor.
Similarly, L’Occitane has been organising two to three pop-ups every year since 2009 in various cities in India. The brand coincides these pop-ups with key seasons, holidays or special occasions to maximise consumer engagement and build excitement around skincare offerings.
“On an average, we allocate approximately 10,000-12,000 euros to these pop-ups with potential fluctuations, considering factors such as rental costs, location, sustainability initiatives, logistics, customer offerings, and manpower. We aim for a ROI of 25-30% ensuring competitiveness in return. However, we support sustainability to ensure high-quality standards and efficiently manage logistics in these locations before expanding to others. This strategy not only allows us to leverage our existing customer base but helps drive foot traffic to our permanent stores in these cities. Cities like Chandigarh and other emerging markets in India are on our radar for pop-ups as we understand the potential they offer,” says Dewan.
The popularity is based on impulse and emotion, touch and feel, and the experience itself, as most people rely on emotions to make purchases. “This allows us to sell more than one unit. If someone comes to buy a bag, there is a high probability they will walk out with an entire outfit as it’s a high value product, they do want to touch and feel before making the purchase. Walking into a beautiful setup, seeing the incredible global fashion, and being surrounded by on-ground stylists and personal shoppers just add to the experience of shopping luxury,” says Aisha Saraf Kothari, founder of Delhi-based AiSPi, a multi-brand online fashion platform that curates and collaborates with international brands. Kothari hosts two pop-ups every month in Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru, Raipur and Kolkata.
For portfolio brands within The Good Glamm Group, pop-ups are strategically designed in high footfall areas to foster connections with a diverse demography. A standout example is this year’s Korean festival called K-Town festival in Mumbai, which served as an ideal platform to target Gen Z. “Our pop-ups are not just retail spaces; they are experiential zones to create memorable brand interaction. By strategically choosing locations, understanding and targeting diverse age groups, we offer beauty retail with experiential marketing, driving brand engagement and business growth,” says Ketan Bhatia, group brand director, The Good Glamm Group.
K-Town festival saw a footfall exceeding 1,500 attendees in one day, predominantly young adults. “The experiential zones offer complimentary makeovers by in-house makeup artistes, real-time testing of skin hydration levels, offering a first-hand experience of our products before purchase, coupled with interactive activities like the ‘Spin the Wheel’ game where attendees can win prizes,” adds Bhatia.
Multi-brand pop-ups at established brands like Shoppers Stop are executed at least one in every quarter to facilitate direct interactions with new customers, and enable the brand to depart from traditional retail formats. “We can experiment with new product launches, collaborations, and interactive activations, and push the boundaries of conventional retail,” says Kassim, who has recently done events for brands like Maison Margiela, Prada and Giorgio Armani at their stores in India.
Shoppers Stop has organised successful events for fragrances, followed by makeup and skincare businesses, resulting in significant numbers of new customer acquisitions. “It has notably bolstered our store footfall and website traffic, contributing substantially to revenue generation by providing an additional point of sale outside of our expansive retail presence. We have experienced double-digit growth with pop-ups, which has contributed to more than 60-70% of the weekly brand sales targets, a trend that persisted throughout the year. This growth is influenced by various factors such as seasonality, location, and others,” adds Kassim.
Creative collabs
Pop-ups in the art world are an instant hit, and work as a hotspot for dealers, auction houses and wealthy buyers, organised in a less formal manner than art shows in a gallery or museum. It enables buyers to transact beyond the traditional auction calendar and get seasonal access to objects. The Sotheby’s has a ‘Contemporary Showcase’, a series of boutique online auctions that adopt a dynamic ‘pop-up shop’ concept, a fast-paced auction format, and thematic presentations with curated works and runs for about one week. The swift turnaround between consignment and sale brings exciting and ahead-of-the-curve offering to clients.
In one of the pop-up sale galleries in Monaco in 2021, Sotheby’s opened a selection of modern and contemporary works of art, featuring artists Pablo Picasso, Francis Picabia, Georges Braque, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Fernand Léger, Henri Matisse, Emil Nolde, and Cy Twombly. It also had design and luxury items, including watches, handbags, sneakers, and one-of-a-kind creations by British jeweller Glenn Spiro.
Sotheby’s also organised a stylish Swiss pop-up devoted to jewellery, fashion and art from the Swiss town of St Moritz last year. It had a selection of exclusive hand-selected pieces for sale, curated by art consultant and fashion collaborator Harriet Dalmeny, and creative advisor Irma Camperio Ciani Roder, who gave exclusive access to Swiss designer’s collection only available by appointment, bringing the Swiss town’s unique vibe via a pop-up accessible in London.
For Saurabh Singhvi, director of Delhi-based art gallery Art Magnum, pop-ups in art are beneficial for brand awareness rather than immediate sales. “Our experience suggests that pop-ups do lead to after-sales, and give opportunity to collaborate with like-minded brands. But the challenge is to curate it well so that it attracts the right kind of audience. The format works well for luxury products, jewellery, food and beverage brands as they can reach a larger audience,” says Singhvi, who organised the Chanakya connoisseur’s closet pop-up at the DLF Chanakya Mall Delhi last year, targeting young collectors and art enthusiasts who are considered prospective buyers for the gallery.
Propelling growth
Despite establishing a physical outlet in 32nd Avenue in Gurugram last year, home-made momo brand Bojus Kitchen’s co-founder Arati Thapa credits her four years of organising pop-ups for fostering a loyal customer base. “It has not only propelled momentum but generated substantial revenue while capturing the attention of new consumers. From pop-ups at malls to home catering, our endeavour has driven sales, introduced our cuisine to a diverse audience, and offered a taste of authentic cuisine to those who may not have otherwise encountered our brand,” says Thapa.
Similarly, for Leos at 621 in Delhi, a pizza lab with a dining space to host events and workshops, pop-ups “bring our passion for authentic pizza to as many people as possible,” as per Saurabh, head chef.
Meanwhile, pop-ups also augur well for either niche audiences or tier II city brands like vVyom By Shuchita in Jaipur and Design Democracy, a festival and exhibition showcase platform in Hyderabad. “We focus on recall value which results in increasing sales in the long term,” says Shuchita Sancheti Garg, founder and director, vVyom By Shuchita, which participates in various pop-up events and collectives in Delhi, Mumbai and New York.
“The participation may not give instant sales but access to wedding and corporate gifting buyers, and consumers. Most people come to shop authentic pieces in Jaipur, so when we do pop-ups in other cities, we aim to bring Jaipur to them in our design and philosophy,” adds Garg.
Similarly, Arjun Rathi Design (ARD) and Rural Modern Glass Studio (RMGS) curated three pop-up sessions across Delhi and Gurugram between September and December last year to generate leads for its stores Luxaddi, Dialogues by Nirmal, and The Vault. “These were attended by consumers and visionaries in the field of lighting and glass, architecture, design, art, and art enthusiasts to create future business opportunities,” says Arjun Rathi, principal architect, ARD, and founder of RMGS.
