Creating Pop-Up Spaces to Attract New Tenants at Your Mall

Housing clothing chains and high-end brands, convenience stores, restaurants, family activity centers, movie theaters, and more, malls are community hubs that offer a wide variety of experiences under one roof.

Now, picture strolling through your local shopping center and stumbling upon a store that wasn’t there yesterday—a space showcasing exclusive products that will vanish in a mere few days. This is the transient thrill of pop-up retail. 

For mall facilities managers, creating these temporary spaces is more than just a marketing tactic—it’s a powerful strategy to attract new tenants. By hosting popular brands or collaborating with local businesses to offer exclusive products, malls can generate excitement and draw in new audiences. These partnerships not only increase visibility, but also create fresh, memorable shopping experiences.

Discover how mall pop-up spaces can serve as a tenant recruitment tool, and specifically how room dividers and modular wall solutions can transform underutilized areas into flexible, branded environments.

Why Pop-Up Spaces Are a Strategic Tool for Mall Tenant Recruitment

The retail landscape is fast and ever-changing, and malls are turning to pop‑up shops as a nimble, strategic response to economic uncertainty and evolving consumer habits. Unlike traditional leases that lock tenants into long-term contracts and major build-out costs, pop‑ups offer a low-risk entry point. They let brands test locations, experiment with concepts, and engage customers directly for short periods.

For property owners, the benefits are immediate and compelling. Pop‑ups fill vacancies instantly, ensuring spaces generate revenue instead of remaining empty. They also allow malls to trial new retail concepts or niche segments—whether a local artisan, a trendy food brand, or an experiential tech showcase—without committing to a permanent lease. In essence, pop‑ups act as live market research, helping landlords identify viable long-term tenants while keeping retail offerings dynamic and fresh.

Industry data shows that temporary retail can significantly boost mall foot traffic and revenue. Pop-up shops have been shown to boost mall foot traffic by roughly 15%, drawing in curious shoppers with fresh, ever-changing experiences. Moreover, annual revenues from pop‑ups are estimated at $80 billion, with projections to exceed $95 billion in 2025. Impressively, 80% of retailers who launch pop‑ups consider the experience a success, and more than half plan to do it again, yielding a clear affirmation of the model’s effectiveness and scalability.

Understanding the Needs of Potential Tenants

The retail landscape thrives on flexibility. Small businesses, digital-first brands, and seasonal vendors often hesitate to lock into long-term commitments, especially in uncertain markets. Pop-up spaces bridge that gap by offering a low-risk trial run. They allow potential tenants to test locations, customer demand, and operational logistics before deciding whether a traditional lease is worth the investment.

Consider the e-commerce clothing brand curious about how its products translate offline. A short-term pop-up provides real-world data: Do shoppers engage with the brand in person? Does foot traffic justify ongoing overhead? Similarly, seasonal vendors—whether selling Halloween costumes or holiday gifts—benefit from short leases that align with their peak sales windows.

For mall operators and facilities managers, these trial runs are more than just temporary fills—they’re pipelines for future tenants. Gathering feedback from past pop-up occupants offers valuable insight: What drew them in? What hurdles held them back from signing a long-term lease? By using that data, malls can fine-tune their offerings, creating a smoother path from pop-up to permanent tenancy.

Designing Flexible and Attractive Mall Pop-Up Spaces

The success of a pop-up depends heavily on how adaptable the space is. Retailers may require different layouts, storage options, or branding opportunities, and the mall must be able to provide that flexibility.

Leveraging Modular Walls and Room Dividers for Customization

This is where modular solutions like Versare partitions and room dividers shine. Unlike permanent build-outs, modular solutions can be easily moved, rearranged, or stored away, making them ideal for mall pop-ups. Facilities managers can use these tools to:

• Reconfigure layouts on demand: Empty square footage doesn’t have to stay static. With solutions like movable wall systems and portable room dividers, facilities managers can reshape a space in hours—not weeks. A wide-open atrium can become a boutique storefront, a demo zone, or even multiple micro-retail stalls, simply by installing partitions.
• Add branding and signage directly onto partitions: The Room Divider 360® is offered with a custom-printed option, giving pop-up tenants the chance to instantly showcase their brand identity without costly build-outs. Graphics, logos, and full-color imagery can be printed directly onto the panels. This gives tenants an instant branded environment that feels polished and professional—a fashion retailer might wrap the panels in bold seasonal artwork, while a tech company could display product visuals or QR codes that drive digital engagement. Plus, room dividers with fabric panels provide a versatile surface where tenants can easily pin, post, or tack up signage, menus, or promotional materials.
• Carve out defined spaces within open areas: Products like the modular wall system or sound-dampening dividers can section off part of an atrium or wide corridor, creating inviting, semi-private spaces that feel tailored to each vendor.

The result is a tenant-ready environment in hours, not weeks. For malls, this agility makes it easier to court diverse tenants while keeping overhead low. For pop-ups, it ensures their space feels polished, branded, and customer-ready from day one.

Optimizing Location and Visibility Within the Mall

Placement is everything when it comes to pop-ups. High-traffic areas, such as entrances, near anchor stores, or adjacent to event spaces, maximize visibility and draw foot traffic naturally. Good sightlines, proper lighting, and prominent signage all make a difference in helping temporary tenants succeed.

Strategic positioning also benefits the mall’s tenant mix. For instance, a gourmet chocolate pop-up might thrive when placed near a coffee shop but could clash if set up next to an existing candy retailer. Thoughtful placement ensures pop-ups add value without cannibalizing existing tenants.

Tracking Performance and Converting Pop-Ups to Permanent Leases

For facilities managers, the true value of a pop-up lies not only in filling empty square footage but also in its potential to evolve into a long-term lease. To determine which tenants are worth cultivating, clear methods of measurement are essential. Sales performance is often the first indicator, as point-of-sale data reveals whether a pop-up can generate revenues comparable to established stores. Foot traffic analytics offer another layer of insight, showing whether a brand can consistently draw visitors and energize the surrounding retail mix. Customer engagement adds qualitative depth, whether it comes from in-person feedback, social media activity, or loyalty sign-ups that indicate a brand is building lasting connections beyond the short-term lease.

Once strong performers are identified, the challenge becomes guiding them toward permanence. Many malls smooth this path with flexible lease structures—short initial terms or step-up rent models that reduce risk. Others offer rent credits, marketing support, or turnkey build-outs to lower barriers to entry. Sharing performance data also helps; when tenants see proof of their own sales and traffic success, they gain confidence in committing long-term. Equally important is relationship building, with regular check-ins and ongoing support that position the mall as a true partner in growth rather than a temporary landlord.

Transforming Empty Spaces into Revenue-Generating Opportunities

Pop-up spaces breathe new life into underutilized mall areas, turning vacancies into attractions that engage shoppers and generate revenue. With the right design strategies—and the versatility of Versare dividers and modular walls—facilities managers can create professional, adaptable environments that make tenants feel at home.

For malls looking to attract high-quality tenants and revitalize their spaces, the message is clear: don’t let empty square footage sit idle. Instead, transform it into a dynamic stage for retail innovation.

Explore Versare’s range of retail space solutions today and discover how easily you can convert vacant mall space into income-generating opportunities.