Tender: catering and hospitality services at Poole Museum

BCP Council is seeking an innovative café, catering and hospitality operator to launch Poole Museum’s new café and provide catering and hospitality services from summer 2025.

 

Poole Museum is located on the quayside in the historic heart of Poole Old Town, next to the vibrant Poole Quay, and occupies an estate of three Grade I- and Grade II-listed buildings: Oakley’s Mill, the Town Cellars, and Scaplen’s Court and Garden.

 

An investment of over £10m has transformed Poole Museum into a vibrant, relevant and regionally significant visitor attraction, enhancing its visitor experience, cultural offerings and commercial performance.

 

The redevelopment has significantly increased the scale of Poole Museum as a visitor attraction by doubling publicly accessible space and improving visitor facilities, including a new retail store.

 

There are six brand new galleries over five floors which will showcase the Museum’s significant collections with a focus on maritime, ceramics and art – including a high-specification temporary exhibitions gallery which will host national touring and temporary exhibitions, building on the museum’s reputation for shows that attract large audiences.

 

The herb and physic walled garden in Scaplen’s Court prior to redevelopment. The changes being made here include a new garden layout, ramp access, new doors from the internal café seating area to the garden, and outdoor seating

 

Poole Museum will host an outstanding year-round programme of cultural events and activities suitable for all ages.

 

The conservation and refurbishment of Grade I-listed Scaplen’s Court and Garden has added a beautiful house and garden to the museum offer for the first time, and provides a new home for the museum café, located on the ground floor, with both indoor, and outdoor seating outside the front of the building, and in the walled herb and physic garden at the back.

 

The museum will also offer space for weddings, private functions, corporate events, conferences, group travel bookings, other special events, with the new café operator providing hospitality and catering services in addition to the café offer, as well as packages for the museum’s vibrant programme of events, workshops, activities, and wider tourism events in the region.

 

Before closing for redevelopment, the museum attracted around 180,000 people in a typical year. It is anticipated audiences for the new museum will increase to well in excess of 200,000 people with increased building capacity to accommodate growing visitor numbers, and improved accessibility for all throughout.

 

General admission to the museum on reopening will remain free.

 

Aerial photo of Poole Quay – Poole Museum’s estate of buildings is near the yellow boats in the bottom left of the image

 

Poole Museum’s director, Jaine Fitzpatrick said: “The new café, catering, and hospitality services are at the heart of the Poole Museum transformation, set to elevate and enhance the experience of coming to the cultural quarter of this fascinating Harbour town.

 

“The successful operator will have on offer the ability to create an exceptional blend of history, culture and top-tier hospitality offering an array of experiences and impeccable service. The museum’s vibrant cultural calendar will ensure there’s always something exciting happening and you will make that pop and fizz!

 

“We are offering a genuinely collaborative partnership where we learn and grow together to provide an inclusive, inspiring and welcoming space, where guests can relax, reconnect and indulge in memorable experiences.”

 

Find out more: Poole Museum Cafe, Catering and Hospitality Concession

Closing date: 31 March 2025

Anticipated contract start date: 1 July 2025

Contract period: Five years with a possible extension for an additional five years