Several years ago I wrote about a trend for retail businesses--the kiosk approach to testing a business concept or product. What this entailed was setting up a small shop in the form of a kiosk, generally in mall space, with relatively low overhead, but the ability to directly reach consumers. I also wrote that some landlords found that, rather than sitting on an empty space until a new tenant is found, they could rent the space on a temporary basis so that their cash flow is not interrupted. Well, guess what? In these uncertain and depressed economic times, we’ve seen a real resurgence in these “pop-up” businesses.

Sarah Needleman writes in a recent Wall Street Journal article about a number of businesses that have taken advantage of an increasing number of vacant retail sites in malls, strip malls, and lifestyle centers. One of the most interesting pop-ups is the current trend of medical service providers locating in shopping centers. Flu-shot provider WellCheck is opening 150 units in shopping malls in 35 states for 6 weeks to test whether consumers are comfortable receiving medical services in this type of venue. If they succeed, they’ll pick the top 20 locations and develop permanent sites with a number of different offerings.