Retail, Shops, Food & Drink

Retail uses for shipping containers are endless, ranging from a single standalone unit to a large retail complex comprising of multiple containers. Typical uses include pop-up container shops, town centre shopping parks, seasonal markets, and sales kiosks (selling anything from tickets, souvenirs, ice creams and vaping products), coffee shops, farm shops, surf stores and water-sports bases.

Shipping containers for retailers are especially well suited to venues off the beaten track, seasonal visitor attractions, at or adjacent to sites and environments where it’s not permitted or practicable to build permanent retail space.

Available in sizes from 8ft to 40ft shipping containers give designers, architects and clients the opportunity to create strong and robust buildings with a modern iconic design and a long life-expectancy. Upcycled shipping containers have genuine environmental credentials, they have a role to play in the circular economy maximising longevity, future reuse and therefore minimising resource use and waste. Also usually available from stock.

Containers can be cut and shortened as required by the space or purpose. Furthermore most converted retail containers are suited to being lifting by crane from above or forklift from below and some designs can be shipped overseas for use in remote parts of the world or to assist with the redevelopment of disaster stricken areas. A great example of their use in response to a natural disaster was Container Mall (also known as Re:Start) in Christchurch, New Zealand after the 2011 earthquake – see details here

Container Café conversions are probably our most popular retail container enquiry, providing an ideal environment for both start-up businesses and franchises. Quick and easy to design and build, they can be in the form of a kiosk, booth or pop-up shop and moved around from event to event, place to place or festival to festival.

Just like the container that has travelled the world, its culinary uses are truly global, serving pizza or ice cream from Italy, tacos from Mexico, sandwiches from Kent, pasties from Cornwall, sausages from Lincolnshire, or just selling good quality local produce.

Nearly all events have a bar, whether it’s at a live concert, festival, street fair, carnival or seasonal market. Shipping containers provide a striking and modern space that is portable, easy to set up and remove afterwards.