Global fashion business Shein has reported that its upcoming pop-up store at Lakeside Joondalup Shopping Centre north of Perth has been axed.
The ultra-cheap online retailer promoted the pop-up earlier this month, which would have been the first pop-up of its kind in Perth, and the seventh pop-up in all of Australia following similar activations in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. It was expected to launch on June 21 and finish up on June 23.
It comes after the shopping centre initially released a media statement announcing the cancellation. Both entities did not share the reason for the pop-up, but Shein shared in a statement that it is committed to providing a pop-up experience in Perth, adding it will provide further updates in due course.
A spokesperson at Lakeside Joondalup shared a media statement saying it works with a diverse range of retailers, partners and brands to provide its customers with centre experiences.
“This includes short-term pop-up activations with both local businesses and community groups as well as popular brands,” the spokesperson said.
“This [Shein] activation will no longer be proceeding at Lakeside Joondalup, but we look forward to bringing other new and exciting experiences to our community soon.”
Earlier this week, a Shein spokesperson told Ragtrader that connecting with customers and localising its activities are key priorities for the business in Australia.
“We've had an overwhelmingly positive response from customers when sharing news of our pop ups online, with that sentiment mirrored when people attend our pop ups,” the spokesperson said.
This priority sits among an overarching focus of making fashion accessible, with the spokesperson confirming that Shein sources products from various suppliers, manufacturers and distributors in China, Turkey and Brazil, with its latest modern slavery statement confirming the United States and Australia as other key supply countries.
“We remain committed to making the beauty of fashion accessible to all, and promoting our industry-leading, on-demand production methodology to economically meet the way consumers want to shop in the future,” the spokesperson said.
“Australia is already benefiting from our model to launch items in small initial batches of 100 to 200 items, evaluating customer feedback in real time, and restocking products that are in demand. For some customers, this means purchasing items that are unique and have seen very small production.”
These pop-up activations follow a recently signed partnership deal with Alice McCall, which the Shein spokesperson said involved the use of recycled textiles and the repurposing of excess fabrics into new designs.