Over the years many museum clients have asked whether JGL provides retail consultation. It makes sense – after all both are sources of important earned income, both increase the length of stay, and both engage visitors and deepen their connection to the museum. Furthermore, some museums want a single vendor providing retail and food services and there is an increasing number of vendors capable of providing both. Finally, these enterprises frequently report up to the same person- making a one stop shop appealing.
We have in fact managed two retail RFP’s in our history but generally we remained focused on visitor food and catered events. As of June 2021, I am excited to tell you that is changing. Why now? Well, first of all we are increasingly getting the question from our clients. Our goal is to meet our clients’ needs so the increasing volume of requests led us to re-examine the market. Secondly, we predict that more art museums, who frequently avoided contract operation, will consider contract operations as they focus on emerging from the pandemic and strengthening their financial positions. Recent conversions to contract operation include the Guggenheim in NY and the National Gallery in DC. Thirdly, JGL is known for fair, balanced and transparent RFP processes and we want to bring our selection expertise and systems to the retail world. Finally, we have acquired a trove of knowledge and aligned with John Franzini, a retail professional with 30 + years of experience at some of the leading players in museum retail today.
Our retail services will mirror JGL’s core services namely assessments/evaluations, feasibility studies, and RFP processes. Whether food services or retail our motto remains intact – “Our clients can expect optimized financial results, enhanced guest experience and improved operational efficiencies.”
We are anticipating the burning question many of you have – is your name going to change? The answer is probably yes but we are taking our time with that and may even do some polls on the subject in the near future. In the meantime give us a call or send us an email – we will be happy to discuss your food service AND retail needs!