Museum Store Association Releases 2014 Industry Retail Report

Denver – October 20, 2014 – The Museum Store Association (MSA) has released the 2014 MSA Retail Industry Report: Financial, Operations, Salary, and Best Practices Information for the Nonprofit Retail Industry. The report provides benchmarks, offers insight and enables nonprofit retail professionals, vendors, service providers and institutions to make smart business decisions.

MSA undertakes a retail industry study every few years as part of its mission to advance the success of nonprofit retail and the professionals engaged in it. The report is an industry-wide study that supports benchmarking and business decisions. OnCampus Research was contracted to field this year’s survey, which is published by Left Coast Press, Inc.

This year’s report includes hundreds of pages of valuable information and over 200 tables, including comparisons by geography, size and gross sales along with tips on best practices in inventory management, merchandising, online sales, wholesaling, special events and staffing—all based on hard survey data.

“Running a profitable museum store is part art and part science,” said Andrew Andoniadis, founder of Andoniadis Retail Services and sponsor of the 2014 study. “The art includes product selection, merchandising, display, layout and store design. Perhaps most importantly, the science includes calculating and monitoring financials and benchmarks. In our consulting work we constantly use the MSA Retail Industry Report, and have since 2002, to help measure the financial condition of a store and set goals for the future.”

The 2014 MSA Retail Industry Report is available as an eBook and in hard copy. MSA members receive a 30 percent discount off the eBook retail price. MSA members can purchase the report at www.museumstoreassociation.org. The report is available to the public in eBook and hard copy at www.lcoastpress.com. Regular retail price is $430. Online orders through Left Cost receive a 15% discount.

About MSA
Founded in 1955, the Museum Store Association provides opportunities for nonprofit retail professionals to connect, offers educational opportunities to advance the nonprofit retail profession, and connects a community of museum store buyers and vendors. MSA’s goal is to offer programs and services that support nonprofit retail professionals in serving as distinct assets to their institutions. MSA serves over 1,600 institutional and vendor members in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Asia and Europe. (www.museumstoreassociation.org)

About Left Coast Press, Inc.
Left Coast Press, Inc. is a publisher of academic and professional materials in the humanities, social sciences and related professional disciplines. The company produces a wide range of products in a targeted set of fields, including anthropology, archaeology, museum studies and qualitative research. Left Coast Press, Inc. is the official publisher and distributor for all Museum Store Association titles. (www.lcoastpress.com)