Storefront Research Names September the Most Requested Month of the Year to Open a Pop-Up Shop, With More Than Twice the Demand of August
The Storefront Pop-Up Index measures the months brands ask to start, and finds September peaks at more than double the
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New York, NY, Sept. 08, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Storefront, the world’s largest marketplace for pop-up and short-term retail space, has published new research showing that September is the most requested month of the year for opening a pop-up shop, with more than twice the demand of August, the quietest month.
The months brands ask to open a pop-up shop, indexed to September at 100. Averaged over two years. Source: Storefront Pop-Up Index.
The finding comes from the Storefront Pop-Up Index, which measures the dates brands ask for when they request space. A brand searching on the Storefront marketplace specifies the date it wants to open, so the Index reflects when brands intend to trade rather than when they happen to be browsing. Indexed against September at 100, August scores 43.
Most brands plan three months or less ahead
The Index also finds that brands work on short horizons. Forty-two percent plan one to three months ahead and 30 percent open within a month of their first inquiry, while fewer than one in ten plan beyond six months.
Read alongside the September peak, that places the planning window for the year’s busiest month in the weeks immediately before it, and the window for holiday-season openings in the early autumn.
Fashion accounts for more than half of demand
More fashion brands are seeking space than all other categories combined, at 57 percent. Art and galleries, food and drink, design and homeware, and beauty follow. About half of all demand comes from independent and smaller brands rather than major names, a sign that pop-up shops have become a mainstream way to open a store rather than a niche one.
Where the demand comes from
The United States is the single largest source of demand, accounting for 30 percent of brands looking for space, three times the share from the United Kingdom. American and British brands are also the most likely to cross a border to open a pop-up shop. British brands form the largest foreign group seeking space in New York, while American brands lead foreign demand in London.
What brands pay
Entry-level spaces start at about 600 dollars a week. Typical weekly rents range from 2,000 to 3,000 dollars, while prime locations command 10,000 dollars or more. Prices vary widely by city and by street, so the figures describe the range brands encounter rather than a rate for any single space.
How the cities rank
Among the cities covered, Paris scores highest, with New York second and London third, followed by Los Angeles and Milan. Scored against Paris at 100, New York reaches 85 and London 57.
The ranking measures demand expressed by brands on the Storefront marketplace, where the company’s coverage and history vary by city. It is a measure of demand recorded on one marketplace, not of the total size of any city’s pop-up market, and cities are scored against the leader rather than reported as totals.
“We built the Pop-Up Index because the appetite for physical retail is one of the most misread stories in our industry,” said Mohamed Haouache, CEO and founder of Storefront. “Our data shows brands of every size want space in the world’s great retail cities, and that short-term, flexible space is how many of them choose to open. We wanted to put a clear, public number on that.”
How the Index is built
The Index counts brand demand for pop-up shops, showrooms, sample sales, galleries and product launches. The city, country and category figures cover a rolling 12-month period to June 30, 2026, which reduces the effect of seasonal peaks and quieter periods. The monthly figures are averaged over two years and are timed to the date a brand asks to open, not the date it made the request. A brand’s country is assigned according to the country from which its request was submitted. The Index refreshes every quarter.
Charts and data for reuse
The full Index, including every chart and the methodology, is published at https://www.thestorefront.com/pop-up-index. Charts and findings may be reused with attribution to the Storefront Pop-Up Index and a link. The charts and the underlying data are available without registration or prior approval, as a chart pack at https://www.thestorefront.com/mag/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/popup-index-chart-pack-2026-07-31.zip and as a data file at https://www.thestorefront.com/mag/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/popup-index-data-2026-07-31.csv.
Listings in the leading Index cities are available at https://www.thestorefront.com/search/paris/retail, https://www.thestorefront.com/search/new-york/retail and https://www.thestorefront.com/search/london/retail.
About Storefront
Founded in 2014, Storefront is the world’s largest marketplace for pop-up and short-term retail space. It connects brands, from global names to independents, with short-term commercial space to open pop-up shops, showrooms and galleries without the cost or commitment of a long-term lease. More information is available at thestorefront.com.
How far ahead brands plan a pop-up shop, as a share of requests. Twelve months to June 30, 2026. Source: Storefront Pop-Up Index.
Press Inquiries
Nicholas Roberts-Moore
Chief Marketing Officer
nmoore@thestorefront.com
https://www.thestorefront.com
