rship of Urban Walkabout would be interested in taking it one step further, not just wanting to read about the retailers, but also wanting to shop from them as well,” Melinda Tually, project manager of Urban Walkabout’s online store, told Inside Retail PREMIUM. “The emphasis is on supporting local bricks and mortar businesses. That’s what Urban Walkabout is about, so this is just an extension of promoting those businesses,” Tually said. Urban Walkabout selected retailers representing different product categories, as well as those who produce product locally. “We looked for retailers who represented different product categories, as well as ones that are a good representation of each of their cities. “It also came down to logistics – because we’re not holding stock we need retailers that can refill and replenish stock in quite a short time frame.” The site is the first online presence for up to a third of the listed retailers. “We’ve got retailers that don’t have an online presence, but even businesses that do have their own online stores saw this as an opportunity to further drive traffic to their websites.” Urban Walkabout will asses the pop up’s reception at the end of the trial, with plans to possibly roll it out for other events, such as Valentine’s Day. “I think we could possibly roll this out at other times of the year like Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, or Father’s Day, and hopefully each time introduce new businesses. Urban Walkabout has so many clients across the three states, ideally we should rotate the businesses. “If this does prove successful then it may even become bigger and have more retailers, but right now it’s too early to tell.” Urban Walkabout will launch a Newcastle city guide this month, with Tually saying “there’s definitely more growth on the cards” for the company. “It’s really exciting because [Newcastle] is an area that has been completely revisioned by independents.”