Lumsden gets teeth into Natural History Museum shop

The Natural History Museum is opening a dinosaur-themed store designed by Lumsden Design Partnership.

Dubbed the Dino Store, the shop is located at the main exit of the blockbuster Dino Jaws exhibition, but will remain as a permanent shop after the show closes in April 2007. Therefore it has a visual identity distinct from the exhibition.

According to LDP managing director Callum Lumsden, the design aims to attract people from the main corridor and into the shop. ‘We’ve used a lot of large-scale graphics and put some dinosaurs behind cages so people can help them escape by buying them,’ he says.

Store materials include a dappled metallic surface, which resembles dinosaur skin, and dinosaur profiles have been built into the flooring. ‘The brief was to design a fun area to attract families. The finishes are very tough as it will be heavily used by kids,’ adds Lumsden.

NHM head of retail Jeremy Ensor has been overseeing the project.