Colleges Targeted With Big Name Pop-up Stores

The Wall Street Journal reported on the growth of temporary pop-up stores on college campuses stocked by big-name retailers like Victoria's Secret and cosmetics-powerhouse Kiehl's. Think of a hot dog stand but with overpriced lip balm rather than meat.

The mini stores—which are often open for a day or so to hand out promotional items or sell small amounts of merchandise—can turn a decent profit ($20,000 a day at Penn State for Victoria's Secret, for example) but also offer retailers brand recognition in the valuable youth market.

Victoria's Secret and Kiehl's, along with sustainable-clothing brand RVL7 and flip-flop maker Havaianas market to a dozen or fewer colleges each, usually in conjunction with the school, a campus bookstore, or a student organization.