In a climate of recession and public sector cutbacks how do you change the look and feel of a retail outlet with a minimal budget and a tight deadline? Laura O'Donnell, Retail Manager, Manchester Museum, University of Manchester, answers the question.

The Manchester Museum shop welcomes over 200,000 shoppers a year through its doors and caters to a wide variety of visitors, from school groups and families to students and academics.

It was last renovated in 2003 and by the winter of 2009 was beginning to look its age. The space was cramped and overwhelmed by a large main counter that filled over a fifth of the sales floor next to the entrance. Selling space was limited by stand-alone units that did not allow enough room for stock. On busy weekends the lack of floor space meant families with prams or buggies turning away from the shop, unable to get in past the queues at the tills.

When proposing the refit the retail team decided to prioritise the lack of floor space and useable selling areas. The aim was firstly to increase the sales per square foot by increasing the amount of stock that could be on sale and the amount of people the shop could comfortably hold. The second priority was to inject colour and personality to the space to lift its chilly glass and off-white based aesthetics.

Convincing budget-holders to spend on a retail project rather than use the money on galleries is a hard sell. At a time of the ruthless pursuit of ‘value-for-money’ any renovation would have to translate the funds spent directly into sales. A make-over budget of £6000 was made available which immediately halted some larger plans. The retail team had to decide on what was non-negotiable. In practice that meant creating one extra unit to hold pocket money items, installing 4.5 meters of slat wall and removing the oversize counter and relocating its replacement at the back of the store. Any leftovers in the budget would then be spent on creating and installing a new large-scale decal shop sign on spare wall space.

With no money to commission an outside design company, the in-house technical team collaborated with retail to plan and deliver the physical changes. It was decided that in order to fulfill the second priority of colour and personality a full product review was required, and that the identity the shop needed could be delivered through exciting stock choice and bold merchandising.

The main shop audience is children and families so the target market was identified as ‘little kids and big kids’. The new collection would be bright and fun whilst still reflecting the museum’s collections as well as its ecological and sustainable aims and a pre-existing Fair Trade status.

An ‘eco’ area based around the conservation of animals and habitats plus the exploration of British wildlife was created to reflect the Museums startling range of animal exhibits both live and preserved. The introduction of a history inspired Playmobil range emboldened the ancient worlds offer. The adult gift line was expanded with new craft from talented suppliers including the ornithology inspired Mymble’s Daughter and the witty offbeat Tatty Devine jewellery ranges.

The physical re-shaping of the shop space took five months of planning and sourcing and only one week of building. A temporary shop was erected to cater for school groups while the main shop closed for five days to allow the museum’s workshop team room to demolish the old desk and fit slat wall to the new space it previously covered.

A brand new desk was built onsite by Apple Display. The bright and bold graphic installed made a virtue out of its simplicity and not only names the area, but enlivens it.

There were numerous issues based around component delays having a knock-on effect on the disparate service teams being coordinated. Some of the new lines of stock did not arrive on time and with 24 hours to re-opening the small shop staff found themselves faced with dust, dirt and empty shelves. A flexible stock plan enabled the gaps to be filled quickly, with the launch ultimately delayed by only three hours.

A rejuvenation project like this in never finished and the team is still learning to live with and exploit the new space.

Over 25 per cent more stock is on sale and the freeing of floor space has boosted capacity in time for the busy summer holidays. The flow is now more complex, encouraging customers to slow down and explore the new ranges. Sales are proving strong and the outlay has already been made back in profit. Despite the recession, Manchester Museum Shop is now thriving as a brighter and more welcoming extension of its parent museum and collections.