Pop-up shop Halloween HQ has opened 16 outlets around Ireland in time for this year's Halloween celebrations.
Marketing itself as a one-stop-shop for all things Halloween, the growth of the brand from one Cork store in 2012 confirms the strength of the pop-up phenomenon in the retail trade. Pop-up, or seasonal, shops are proving to be significant generators of footfall in retail centres, and are now seen as a key part of the mainstream shopping mix.
Halloween HQ had nine Irish and two UK shops in 2015 but this has grown sharply this year.
The chain, which now has 100 full- and 100 part-time jobs, will have outlets in Dundrum Town Centre, Liffey Valley Retail Park, Liffey Valley Shopping Centre, Jervis Shopping Centre on Henry Street in Dublin, Charlestown shopping centre, Northside shopping centre, Athlone Town Centre, Newbridge, Naas, Kilkenny, Mahon Point, Cork, Patrick Street, Cork, William Street, Limerick, Castlecourt, Belfast, and in Newry. Its goods are also available online at www.thehaloweenhq.com.
Halloween HQ merged earlier this year with UK firm Calendar Club to create what it claims is the largest chain of Halloween stores outside of the US. The combined businesses plan to open up to 60 Irish and UK stores under the Halloween HQ brand.
Calendar Club is one of the UK’s longest running seasonal retailers having opened its doors in 1998. It operates around 300 temporary stores across the UK and Ireland in high street and out-of-town locations.
Halloween HQ and Calendar Club are also part of the larger Calendar Club US Group with branches in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. This group has more than 1,000 seasonal shops.
Interestingly, the Halloween market has grown rapidly in Ireland and the UK where it is now worth around £400 million (€443m) having been valued at just £12 million (€13.3m) in 2000.
