Pop-ups at TALES House

TALES House works as a subsidised, managed accelerator for African and diaspora creative brands. By sharing staffing, layout, shopping bags and point-of-sale systems between residents, we bring your costs down to as little as £25 a day.

With commission you pay a lower fee and 20% of your sales, which suits new brands or anyone unsure what they will sell. With a flat fee you pay a higher fee and no commission. As a guide, the flat fee works out better if you expect to sell more than £750 a day (fashion) or £500 a day (accessories, beauty and home) on Pop-up Days, or more than £7,500 or £3,750 in a month on a Pop-up Residency. The 5% transaction and accounting fee applies to both.

Each Pop-up Residency runs for a calendar month, from the 1st to the last day. You set up the evening before the 1st, after closing, and clear your space after closing on the last day. If you would like to start mid-month, you pay for the rest of that month pro rata, then continue with full months.

You buy 10 or 20 pop-up days to use over 12 months and book them in your brand portal, as single days or blocks, at least 7 days ahead. You can move a date free of charge up to 72 hours before. Peak days count as 2 days. Between pop-ups your products stay in the TALES online shop, shipped from our stockroom, with the same 20% commission and 5% fee. Unused days expire after 12 months.

Pop-up Days have a minimum of 3 days. Pop-up Residencies are a calendar month. Members can book single days with no minimum.

Yes. Your brand will feature across TALES House London’s channels (Instagram and our email newsletter) and in our press previews. We also recommend telling your own audience where to find you in London.

Your brand sets its own retail prices, and you can change them at any time in your brand portal. Please supply your products with your own swing tags or labels showing your brand and price. The till charges the price you set. TALES House provides the shopping bags and packs each purchase at checkout on your behalf.

Yes. Every brand has its own login to the TALES House brand portal, where you can track your sales as they happen and download your month-end statements and payout reports.

No. For tax consistency, smooth operations and accurate stock tracking, all sales go through the TALES House till.

No. TALES House has a permanent, trained team on the shop floor every day, covered by your fee. Founders are always welcome to visit or host an evening event.

Our visual merchandiser plans your space. You send your stock to our receiving bay and our team unpacks it, lays it out and keeps it looking its best.

We do not deduct product VAT from your payouts. Products sell at the prices you set, which should already include any VAT your brand charges. We deduct the 5% fee, and the 20% commission where your plan includes it, and pay you the balance (95% on flat-fee plans, 75% on commission plans). Your brand is responsible for paying product VAT to HMRC. VAT rates can change with UK tax rules.

The 5% fee, and the 20% commission where it applies, are taken from gross sales through the till. With your payout statement on the 7th, you will receive a VAT invoice showing our services and fees for your bookkeeping.

TALES House holds building insurance and public liability cover for visitors. Your stock remains your risk, so resident brands must hold their own inventory and product liability insurance covering stock in transit and on display.

Yes. Pop-up Residency brands and members can each host one event, such as a collection launch or panel talk, subject to scheduling and licensing.

Main fixtures and hangers are provided by TALES House to keep the store consistent. Our visual merchandising team will work with you during onboarding to include small props, brand signage or styling touches in your space.

We curate each month’s line-up to mix categories, for example a footwear brand with a jewellery designer and a homeware label, and do our best to avoid direct overlap.

Space depends on your product category. We have a secure stockroom on site and will give you box or unit limits during onboarding.

We take down your display within 48 hours of your pop-up ending. Remaining stock is packed and ready for courier collection, or shipped back to you, by the 7th of the following month. Shipping costs are yours.

Yes. Because staffing, merchandising and payments are managed for you, international brands work well with us. You are responsible for customs clearance, duties and UK import taxes when shipping stock to us.

In-store sales follow an exchange or store credit only policy within 14 days, handled through our till by our staff. If a faulty item needs a full refund, it is shown on your month-end statement and deducted from your payout.