Founder of retail fashion brand Boxfresh, Roger Wade teams up with property developers to erect a shopping mall in Shoreditch using shipping containers.
The two-storey structure, dubbed Boxpark, will comprise 60 units, with the 20 containers on the first floor mainly given over to cafes and restaurants.

The plan to bring this many shipping containers together to create a pop-up shopping mall is a world first and will open with its first retail mix at the Goodsyard - a 4.7 hectare site in Shoreditch, London - this October.

Each shipping container will be stripped and undergo a full shop fit out at the organisers' depot, tailoring the unit to meet the needs of each individual retailer. This process can take up to three months, with units being insulated or having electricity fitted. They are then transported to the Goodsyard, where it will take between one and three weeks to erect the entire Boxpark mall, according to architect Andrew Waugh who is working on the project.

Boxpark founder Roger Wade said of the concept: "I was always fascinated by shipping containers – the idea of Boxpark was a fusion of many personal ideas over time. I wanted to create something on a grand scale by using shipping containers and offer retailers short leases, versatility and cost-effective retailing that made sense – the antithesis of the out of town shopping mall."

Boxpark will occupy the site for five years and retailers have the option of signing up for one or five year leases. The flexibility of the format is designed to nurture smaller brands and offer space at "affordable rates."

Mark Phillipson, md of retail property consultant Briant Champion Long explained: "It is unique in that it offers arguably the most cost-efficient and flexible way for new entrants to gain exposure in the retail market... It offers one year deals to brands who want to dip their toe in the water."

The mall will trade seven days a week, from 12pm to 8pm, with late night shopping available on Thursdays.

Boxpark organisers believe the regeneration of the former railway site has the potential to deliver up to 2000 new homes, office space, and retail and leisure facilities, as well as up to 1.7 hectares of new public open space in the long term.