The Sainsbury Exhibitions Gallery is a 1,000sqm space to host major temporary exhibitions. The shop will see high footfall as it sits between the entrance of the new exhibition space and the Museum’s ever-popular Egyptian Sculpture gallery. The Exhibitions shop, designed by Lumsden, will carry premium merchandise such as jewellery and silk scarves also sold in the Museum’s four other shops plus a wide selection of product supporting each special exhibition.

When the shop’s doors open for the first time on March 6 it will retail product from what is one of the Museum’s standout exhibitions for 2014 –The BP exhibition Vikings: Life and Legend. The exhibition is open from March 6 to June 22. Roderick Buchanan, director of buying and retail at the British Museum, said: “The new shop is an integral element of the Sainsbury Exhibitions Gallery. We knew Lumsden Design would create a compelling retail space that would let our products shine and that our visitors would enjoy.”

This is the fifth shop that Lumsden has created for the British Museum. The new shop has a strong visual personality of its own, aligned closely to the architecture of the new building and the more premium product mix. The shop has a stylish, high-end look with its striking monochrome scheme, a palette of quality materials and exceptional attention to detail. Callum Lumsden, founder and creative director at Lumsden Design, said: “This was all about creating world class destination retail for a world leading cultural destination.

The airy double height 188sqm space is dominated with floor to ceiling columns that Lumsden has integrated into the design. They have created a formal scheme with a bespoke tiered merchandising system of display tables with integral storage, grouped around the columns. The units, made from black stained oak with contrasting polished white Armourcast tops, can be arranged in different formations. A metal ladder tower wraps the columns, giving flexibility to display product and promotional graphics relating to each current exhibition. A series of bespoke freestanding wall cabinets have been created, incorporating flexible glass shelving.