A history in brands

The Museum of Brands has reopened in a new, larger London location.

Documenting the history of consumer culture from Victorian times to the modern day, the museum explores the role that brands play in our everyday lives, and in the way that we experience our urban environments.

Diageo has been announced as a founding sponsor and a supporter of the new exhibition space, Channels to the Consumer, which features a case study exploring 200 years of the Johnnie Walker whisky brand.

The new Museum of Brands location reopened on 27 October 2015. The museum's primary exhibition, the Time Tunnel, features over 12,000 original items; including domestic products such as packaging, posters, toys and games. The chronological exhibition reflects changes in shopping habits, as well as the impact of shifts in wider society over the last 150 years.

The Museum of Brands opened in Gloucester in 1984 and moved to a mews near Portobello Road in London’s Notting Hill in 2005 with the support of brands such as Cadbury, Kellogg's and McVitie's. It’s now located in a larger premises, the London Lighthouse building on nearby Lancaster Road.

Sir Paul Judge, chairman of the Museum of Brands, says, "This is an exciting and significant next step for the Museum and for London. The move will provide a better platform for learning on every level - the marketing community in particular will benefit from enhanced exhibitions and public programme facilities."

The museum is the brainchild of consumer historian Robert Opie, who has amassed advertising memorabilia and packaging since the age of 16. The official opening of the Museum of Brands will be celebrated over the Easter holiday, from 25 to 28 March 2016.

Robert Opie, museum director at Museum of Brands, says, "With visitor numbers increasing, the new space will allow us to display more of the collection, and improve the visitor experience."