Funding to encourage retailing for profit

Museums and galleries across England are being actively encouraged to think more commercially through a professional development programme and peer-to-peer support network designed to help them generate sustainable income through retail. The Retail Resilience Programme run by the Association for Culture Enterprises will be rolled out to all English regions over the next three years following a successful pilot programme with members of SHARE Museums East, which is now in its second year. Expert practitioners will provide training in effective buying, financial management, visual merchandising and shop staff skills. Members of the programme will also be part of a commercial forum, enabling them to share their experience with other museums. The programme is supported by a £360k grant from Arts Council England’s Museum Resilience Fund.