“Church has been replaced by museums, and museums by shopping, which has become the number-one cultural occupation”, asserted music producer Malcolm McLaren in an interview with Le Monde1. In fact, only 50% of French people visit one cultural venue a year, a figure that drops to 25% when it comes to two or three cultural venues a year2.
It was against a backdrop of high consumer spending during the “Trente Glorieuses” that, from the 903s onwards, museums gradually began to offer on-site boutiques. Today, these stores are perfectly integrated into the visitor’s itinerary, becoming an “obligatory” – or at least highly appreciated – stopping-off point for visitors. This phenomenon has increased under the dual impact of recurring economic crises and a desire on the part of the State and local authorities to optimize their finances (see the Organic Law on Finance Laws in 2001 and the General Review of Public Policies in 2007). At the latest Museum Connection Meet-up, which this article presents, Lorraine Dauchez pointed out that museum stores can contribute up to 10-15% of a museum’s own revenue.
From simple points of sale, these spaces have become truly scenographic, offering a complementary discovery to the visit, to the point of creating an overall museum experience. Here, we focus on two museums with distinctive approaches: the Toulouse Museum’s direct management of the museum, and the Maison Gainsbourg’s management, entrusted to an outsourced partner, Arteum, which took on the design and total management of the site. Although different, these approaches share the same objective: to create coherence and an overall visitor experience.
1. Creating an internally-managed boutique to foster a holistic visitor experience: feedback from the Toulouse museum
The Muséum de Toulouse, France’s second largest museum in terms of attendance, with 300,000 visitors per year and a collection of 2.5 million specimens, has integrated in situ during its renovation project in 2000.
Located on the street side at the entrance and exit of the museum, this boutique reflects a strong strategic choice to give prominence to this commercial space. Unlike many museum stores, this layout means that the Museum shop is independent of the tour route for passers-by, and located at the exit for visitors.
By integrating the store directly into its operations, the Muséum de Toulouse is able to retain control over content and offer a range of products closely linked to its collections. The aim of this strategy is not only to enrich the visitor experience, but also to generate significant financial resources for the museum, with annual sales of €500,000.
The store’s in-house management also means we have to comply with public regulations. This includes the management of human resources, finance and public procurement, facilitated by legislative changes in this area. Frequent team meetings make it possible to adapt the offer quickly, for example by integrating new products linked to exhibitions or recently added specimens, such as the famous Caramelles bear. Prices are voted annually by the Metropolitan Council, but the store has the flexibility to run promotions, such as sales during the European Heritage Days.
The success of the boutique also relies on a collective effort involving all the Museum’s departments. This collaboration ensures consistency between the store and the museum’s other activities. For example, the Museum’s graphic designer harmonizes the graphic charter of the exhibitions and the store, and there is regular cooperation with those in charge of collections and exhibitions to align the products on offer with current themes.
Currently, around 15% of the museum’s visitors pass through the store, with an average shopping basket of €15 per visitor. These results testify to the effectiveness of this integrated approach. In the future, the Muséum de Toulouse plans to combine the privatization offer with the store to generate more of its own resources.
The in-house management of the Toulouse Museum’s boutique illustrates how an integrated, collaborative approach can not only strengthen the finances of a cultural institution, but also enrich and harmonize the visitor experience. Conversely, some sites choose to entrust the management of their boutique to external professionals, thus delegating to them the overall design and animation of a venue.
2. Maison Gainsbourg: entrust the global management of its spaces to a specialized partner
La Maison Gainsbourg, opening in September 2023, illustrates the importance of strategic and specialized collaboration to create an immersive and economically viable cultural experience.
Charlotte Gainsbourg entrusted Arteum with the overall management of this ambitious project, involving the transformation of Serge Gainsbourg’s historic home into a complete visitor experience, with a museum, bookshop, boutique and bar, the Gainsbarre.
This close collaboration between the venue’s manager, Arteum, and the curators, Sébastien Merlet and Anatole Maggiar, made it possible to combine expertise to design a unique venue. Arteum contributed its expertise in retail space management and visitor flow logistics, while the exhibition curators contributed to the museography and presentation of the works. This collaboration was essential in creating a fluid, coherent museum itinerary, harmoniously integrating visitor and retail spaces with an overall visitor experience logic.
The Gainsbarre, for example, has been designed to offer visitors a multifaceted experience. During the day, it functions as a café-restaurant, while in the evening, it transforms into an entertainment venue with concerts and dinners. This dual programming has attracted some 30,000 customers since its opening, demonstrating its appeal and contribution to the site’s economy.
Similarly, the bookshop-boutique offers a diverse range of products related to Gainsbourg’s work and personality. This varied offering, combined with the quality of management and cultural immersion offered by Arteum, has enabled the boutique to become an essential part of the visitor experience. Finally, the Maison Gainsbourg continually strives to optimize its revenues to ensure its economic sustainability. Initiatives such as the development of new commercial offers, the privatization of spaces and off-site collaborations all contribute to enhancing the appeal of the site and attracting a diverse public. Since its opening, the Maison Gainsbourg has welcomed 70,000 visitors (French-speaking public, 10% under 26), and some 150,000 people have visited the bar and boutique, testifying to the effectiveness of this integrated approach.
The partnership between Maison Gainsbourg and Arteum illustrates how globalized space management can transform a cultural venue into an immersive, economically viable destination.
Overall, these two examples show that the effective management of “commercial” spaces within cultural institutions can radically transform the visitor experience and make a significant contribution to the economic viability of these establishments. The Maison Gainsbourg and the Muséum de Toulouse illustrate two distinct but complementary approaches: one emphasizing integrated in-house management, while the other relies on a global partnership with Arteum. In both cases, the aim is the same: to offer visitors a harmonized visitor experience, in which the various offers and services on offer are closely integrated with the museum’s collections and positioning.
Baudouin DUCHANGE
Footnotes :
- Le Monde, December 2, 2000, quoted in Jean-Michel Tobelem, Le nouvel âge des musées, p.47 et 48, 2nd edition, 2013
- Baromètre 2024 des publics des musées et des lieux patrimoniaux – GECE
- When visitors become buyers – October 31, 2022
Main image credits: © Alexis Raimbault / Official portrait of Charlotte Gainsbourg, dressed in Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello © Jean-Baptiste Mondino, 2023
