Retail Volunteer

Role Description

Overview

Since it opened in 1991, Amersham Museum has thrived as a small, local, independent museum. In July 2017 a redeveloped and expanded museum opened to visitors. The new museum includes a new reception, permanent galleries, improved facilities and collections stores. In 2018 10,000 visited the museum; around half of these visits were from children.

Amersham is a historic Buckinghamshire town and the museum is situated in a listed medieval building on the High Street. Awarded the 2020 Sandford Award for Education, the museum is accredited and is run as a charitable company. The collections reflect the town’s history and development from Roman times to the present day, explaining how Amersham developed after the arrival of the Metropolitan railway. The museum has a wide-ranging programme of activities for adults and families, including talks, walks, craft and research sessions.

It costs £75,000pa to run the museum. The museum’s main sources of income are from admissions, a public programme of activities, retail, fundraising events, grants and trusts, Friends and income from an investment. Income from retail has risen year on year since reopening, but we feel that there is scope to do much more. We need help from a volunteer, or team of volunteers to develop our retail offer.

Title: Retail Manager

This role will work alongside the Curator together with other volunteers as and when needed.

Hours: To be negotiated

Objective of role:  

• To manage the museum shop and oversee changes made to the presentation and range of our merchandise both online and offline
• To focus the retail offer on key themes, linked to the museum’s collection

The role involves:

• Input into the re-design of our reception area to provide a better showcase for our goods
• Involvement in extending the range of our merchandise and developing the museum’s branded range of goods, including publications
• Sourcing and dealing with suppliers
• Liaising with local craftspeople to discuss the museum stocking their goods and possibly hosting workshops
• Better understanding the spending habits of our visitors to increase the spend per head (currently £2.01)
• Enlisting support from the curator and other volunteers when required

We ask volunteers to:

• Uphold the ethos of the museum when dealing with suppliers and local people
• Help ensure the smooth running of the shop
• Attend training sessions as necessary
• Adhere to any policies as requested by Amersham Museum staff

The museum will:

• Provide support as and when needed
• Provide the necessary training and inform you of changes as required
• Keep you updated on the museum’s overall programme of events and exhibitions and other information that might have an impact on the shop
• Provide reasonable out of pocket travel expenses

You will enjoy this role if you:

• Have an interest in retail, sales or marketing
• Have good communication skills
• Enjoy working with others
• Are willing to learn new skills
• Have an enthusiasm for leading and implementing change