Photo by Brian Addison.

Following controversy surrounding the abrupt notice from its management giving the current retail shop owners and staff 30 days to vacate the ship, the Queen Mary has now agreed to extend month-to-month retail leases (at base rates) to the shop owners through January 6 of next year.

According to John Jenkins, General Manager of the Queen Mary, the current shop owners have all been on a month-to-month lease agreement for the past two years.

“They clearly understand our ongoing efforts to upgrade all business systems and the overall Queen Mary experience, from tours to dining to shopping. Nonetheless, the recent exercise of contractually agreed to lease termination notices is proving a hardship for some tenants,” Jenkins said.

The lease extensions may affect the building of new shops and the renovation of existing ones, which will be overseen by the ship’s new partner, Event Network, set to oversee the entirety of the ship’s retail operations for the next five years. However, Jenkins remains assured that the retail organization will help harness subsidies for the ship in order to continue its preservation as well as create new experiences.

“I am confident that Event Network’s expertise in museum and historic ship retail management will greatly improve our ability to make retail sales contribute more to our operational budgets,” Jenkins said. “That’s good for the ship and all those who visit her. However, we should also recognize the needs of our current retail tenants and trust this extension will enable a seamless transition over the coming months.”