Talking shop with Sir John Soane's Museum
Books are among the bestsellers at the Sir John Soane’s Museum shop, so we talked to Retail Manager Kate Vandor about why they are such a great fit for the museum’s retail strategy.
For Retail Manager Kate, a walk through Sir John Soane’s Museum uncovers a treasure trove of fascinating artefacts and stories, providing a bottomless well of inspiration for the museum shop. Kate started working in museums in a curatorial capacity, but made the switch to the commercial side applying a curators’ eye to retail. She now oversees product development and buying for the Sir John Soane’s Museum shop.
The museum is the former home of Regency architect Sir John Soane. Not only is the building itself considered an architectural masterpiece housing significant art collections and interiors, but it also served as the space Soane lived, worked and taught, shedding insight into the man, his work and the period in which he operated.
“Books are a really significant category for us.”
“The museum has a specific character, which we try to emulate in the shop. That means thinking about the visual language of the museum, and making sure we carry those visual themes across to the commercial side so that everything feels cohesive and like an extension of the visit,” says Kate.
The museum’s role as a space for learning is something Kate values. The retail reflects that purpose, providing visitors with a chance to engage with the themes they’ve discovered when they return home. Selling books creates that opportunity.
“Books are a really significant category for us,” says Kate. “A lot of the students who were studying under Soane would come here to draw and study the space, so the museum offers a sense of education and enlightenment. When our visitors get to the shop, they arrive with a sense of wanting to dig deeper and expand their own knowledge. Books meet that need brilliantly.”
"Soane’s visionary approach to architecture sits behind everything."
Books are selling well, making up approximately forty per cent of the Soane’s top 20 bestsellers. The shop offers a wide scope of titles, catering to the different visitors coming to the museum, including families and academic groups. Curating a successful core list, that can be supplemented throughout the year with exhibition or seasonal stock is key to connecting with customers and attracting sales.
“Our core list choices have been very much led by the collection, for example the time period or the key objects. I’ll speak to the front of house staff to find out what visitors ask about to identify topics or themes for books,” explains Kate.
“There are many layers to the story at the museum, but Soane’s visionary approach to architecture sits behind everything. A lot of people come here thinking that they might be most interested to see the sarcophagus of Seti or excited by the Hogarth series. But I think a lot of the time what really strikes people is the architecture and Soane’s vision and forward thinking approach.”
"Bookspeed is invested in us and in our performance.”
Kate works with Bookspeed to source books. It’s a supplier arrangement that has been in place before Kate stepped into the role. Bookspeed supports with both core-list books, and also supplementary titles to complement exhibitions or seasonal offerings.
“I'm going to Bookspeed for more and more stock. When I first started, I would only use Bookspeed for the same things but now it's my first point of contact when I'm considering a new range. When I'm thinking about exhibition collections, the first person I check in with in terms of book titles is my Bookspeed account manager Alana,” Kate says.
“Bookspeed has been brilliant to work with because there is flexibility. There is a very proactive attitude and everybody I've dealt with has been incredibly helpful. It feels collaborative. I feel like Bookspeed is shaping our offer and is invested in us and in our performance.”
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Photography by John Stead.
