Students gain valuable business experience and raise money for charity with Highcross pop-up shop


Students from De Montfort University Leicester (DMU)’s Graduate Champions Enterprise Scheme had the opportunity to experience running their own business for a day from a pop-up shop at the Highcross shopping centre, in Leicester city centre.

Highcross-pop-up-inset

Four groups of students, who are all graduating this year, set up their businesses through the scheme which aims to help final year students get their entrepreneurial ideas off the ground with the added assistance of Spring to Action, a Leicester-based company that specialises in helping start-ups.

The four teams supplied a range of stalls for the eager customers to browse through, ranging from King Richard III memorabilia to a Hawaiian photo booth.

Kate Cowan, director of Spring to Action and a DMU graduate herself, said: “The Champions have been on a three week intensive business start-up course which has culminated in this pop-up shop where they’re all competing to raise as much money as they can for their chosen charities.

“They were given a really broad brief with just a £50 budget and that’s why there’s such a wide range of stalls, put together using the skills they’ve learned from DMU.

“Hopefully this will put them in the right position from which to start their business and give them some valuable experience in running their own businesses.”

Fine Art student Rachel Bailey and her team were present as Big Sugar Blowout, Rachel said: “Our company is based around the popularity of King Richard III and the pride of Leicester. We’re selling sweets and children’s craft kits with proceeds going to The Real Junk Food Project Leicester.”

Congrads, a company specialising in graduation themed gifts also had their spot in the temporary Highcross shop.

Team member Hannah Staniforth, who is graduating from Design Crafts, said: “We’re selling gifts for graduates made by graduates. We have sweets, cards, glasses, teddy bears and graduation caps to raise money for Soft Touch Leicester.”

Fine Art student Amy Gilbert and her team came up with the Hawaiian themed company Hawaiicross. Amy said: “We’re a Hawaiian themed company with a photo booth for people to come and take their picture; we also have handbags and sandals and that sort of thing. We’ve had donations from the Body Shop and other companies and were doing it all for the Skin Cancer Research Fund.”

The final company honing their business skills was Tie Dye for Oxfam. Abigail Williamson, an Arts and Festivals Management student and part of the company, said: “We’re selling tie dye garments to raise money for Oxfam. They’re clothes that we’ve either bought or had donated and we’ve dyed ourselves. We’ve also got a raffle which lots of local companies have donated some great prizes for.”

During the four hours which the groups were running their businesses in Highcross, they collectively raised more £200 for their respective charities with the remaining merchandise also being donated to charity.

Amy Maher, Project Manager for Campus Enterprise Opportunities (CEO), who provide business support on campus to students and graduates, said:  “DMU are keen to support and nurture business start-ups and CEO are really pleased with the feedback we have received from participants about the scheme. 

“They have all worked really hard over the last 3 weeks and I hope this has given them the insight and inspiration to kick start their own businesses.”

Posted on Thursday 2 July 2015

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