Retail & Training Consultants for Heritage Sites, Museums & All Visitor Attractions

Who are we?

Retail Matters was formed in 1991 to provide a specialist retail service to Historic Houses, Gardens, Museums, Cathedrals and other places of interest where a balance exists between the serious need for income generation and an aesthetic appreciation of the requirements of the property and/or the artifacts it contains.

In recent years, the business has expanded and now offers retail support and training to a much wider range of visitor attractions and specialist shops.

Latest News

Credit Crunch

Despite some analysts saying that the recession is bottoming out, hardly a day goes by without another story of economic gloom being almost gleefully thrust upon us by the media. When many of the big names in the high street are reporting falling profits, is there any hope for us small retailers? I say ‘us’ because we are now running two shops at historic sites ourselves and are facing the same problems as everyone else. Looking around, I believe that there is a huge amount that can be done to improve the fortunes of many retailers, large or small.

If your operation is already streamlined and efficient, i.e. you are controlling your overheads, you are buying products that are appropriate for your business and your customers, your merchandising and display skills are honed to perfection and, most important of all, your staff are enthusiastic and take every opportunity to SELL to customers, you are probably going to find it difficult this year to maintain last year’s figures but you will survive.

The bad news is that many retailers in the heritage sector are not as good as they could be and life is already becoming very difficult for them even if, as would seem to be the case, visitor numbers are actually quite healthy. On the positive side, if there is any room for improvement in your operation, it might not be too late to start putting it right now.

Call us to see how we can help you survive!

John Prescott

Senior Consultant

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Beaufort House
Willesley
Tetbury
Gloucestershire
GL8 8QU

Telephone: 01666 880444

email: retailmatters@aol.com