Singapore's National Heritage Board (NHB) has chosen Banyan Tree Gallery (BTG) to operate the retail outlets in its four national museums.

The four shops, totalling over 3,000 square feet in retail space, will be rebranded as 'Museum shop by Banyan Tree' when they open on 1 March 2003.

The NHB runs four national museums - Singapore Art Museum, Singapore History Museum and two Asian Civilisation Museums. Previously, none of the shops had been profitable and the board decided they needed a strategic retail partner to make the shops more of a complete museum experience for visitors.

CEO of the NHB, Mr Lim Siam Kim says:

'We don't just want our shops to sell things. We want them to compliment and enhance the educational aspect of the museum. '

Visitors to the Museum shop by Banyan Tree, will be able to buy everything from objets d'art like Cambodian silverware, to clothing and accessories including shawls, sarongs made with gold-leaf and scarves in chiffon batik fabrics.

Each piece in the shop will be inspired by artefacts in the museums. Claire Chiang who is executive director of BTG explains why the company sees a synergy with the museum market:

'The Banyan Tree ethos upholds culture and heritage and that fits so well with the NHB. Banyan Tree Gallery's aim is to support local culture and industry. This partnership allows us to do that and gives our customers the chance to touch, feel and wear pieces of history.'

Chiang has already sourced local craftsmen in Burma, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam to supply the shops with replicas of museum artefacts and hopes that the shop will inspire visitors to learn more about the culture of South East Asia.

BTG currently has 42 retail outlets, including one in every Banyan Tree Resort worldwide. This is the first time the retail group has worked in conjunction with a public institution.

The NHB is hoping that it will benefit from Banyan Tree's international reputation and increase visitors at its national museums, through Banyan Tree's international marketing campaign.

Mr Lim Siam Kim says:

'We've seen how Banyan Tree has marketed itself in Singapore, nationally and internationally and we're looking forward to spreading the word here and overseas that museum shops can be exciting. With the cross marketing capabilities of Banyan Tree, we're hoping more people will visit Singapore and her national museums.'

BTG has committed an investment of S$3 million in the museum shops for the next three years.