Each week we share with you our pick of the best stories on charity retail, shopping secondhand and the circular economy from the UK, Ireland and around the world.
We also add links to relevant Charity Retail Learning courses associated with each article to help you implement some of the ideas we’re sharing
Here’s our pick from the past 7 days
Good news for charity shops
We’ve all seen how sales are rising across the sector – this piece in Third Sector (you may have to register for free to the site to read it) invites Jonathan Mail from the CRA to tell us why. Good to hear from Barnarado’s too on their current retail journey – and the Charity Shop gift Card – perfect for Christmas!
In-depth: How charity shops are thriving against the economic odds | Third Sector
And this BBC article from a couple of weeks ago tells the same story;
Cost of living: Second-hand shopping in vogue as prices rise | BBC
Keeping the wheels turning – efficiently
Here’s a fab read from Tim Gebauer – one of our favorite thrifters from the US. Tim tells us about keeping our back rooms clear, clean & efficient – great advice!
3 Ways to Improve Donated Goods Production | LinkedIn
Recommended:
Essential Stock Processes – from back room to shop floor | Charity Retail Learning
Anti Black Friday movement
Charity retailers are in a fantastic position to buck the consumerist Black Friday trend – and here’s evidence that other mainstream retailers are starting to turn the table on this OTT practice. How could you make the most of the day to promote how great value doesn’t have to be unsustainable?
Five retailers taking an anti-Black Friday stand | Retail Gazette
Recommended:
Buy Nothing New Day – Black Friday | YouTube
Top shopping tips for Northern Ireland
A really thorough roundup of all the best places to pick up a bargain in Northern Ireland
10 of the best places in NI to go charity shop hunting | NorthernIrelandWorld
Spotlight on digital
An interesting piece on the partnership between BHF and Shopiago as they upped their game online during the pandemic
Dark stores: the digital transformation of charity retail | Charity Digital
Recommended:
Introduction to ecommerce | Charity Retail Learning
Secondhand furniture trends from the US
Good to see a focus on furniture in this piece on resale trends from the US
7 Notable Furniture Resale Trends, According to Recent Marketplace Reports | Architectural Digest
St Teresa’s Hospice opens antique shop
Lovely to hear about this new specialist shop in Darlington – supported by Peter Robinson from Bargain Hunt fame. We wish them every success
More About Us
The Charity Retail Consultancy helps charity retailers and other non-profits (including museums and galleries) develop their retail operation, improve their product offer and people, and improve their profitability.
The Charity Retail Learning provides online & face to face training developed by charity retailers, for charity retailers. We work in partnership with the Charity Retail Association to deliver Charity Retail Learning to their members and beyond.
The Charity Retail Coach offers a first class executive coaching service via our Associate, Dan O’Driscoll.
To find out more or to speak to us about how we can help you, please get in touch:
hello@thecharityretailconsultancy.co.uk
Jayne – 07598 243210
Vicki – 07985 574904
Follow us on social media:
Each week we share with you our pick of the best stories on charity retail, shopping secondhand and the circular economy from the UK, Ireland and around the world.
We also add links to relevant Charity Retail Learning courses associated with each article to help you implement some of the ideas we’re sharing
Here’s our pick from the past 7 days
Charity Shop Gift Card gathers pace
We were delighted to see our friends at St Giles Hospice go live with the Gift Card recently. It’s such a fantastic scheme – we encourage all CRA members to join and be part of a scheme that will be as much of a household name as Book Tokens before long!
St Giles Hospice signs up to gift card scheme for charity shops | Lichfield Live
Recommended:
The Charity Shop Gift Card | The Charity Retail Consultancy
Everyone’s embracing secondhand
News from the US where affluent shoppers are becoming increasingly more likely to shop secondhand, driven by the desire to be more sustainable
Resale revolution: Affluent shoppers embrace secondhand shopping | CNBC
Also this article gives a great overview of some of the activity by mainstream retail moving into the pre loved market
Rise Of The Resale Business In The Retail World | Forbes
Recommended:
Introduction to selling on Depop | Charity Retail Learning
Costs of running stores escalate
We are all feeling the pinch as the cost of living crisis takes hold. This article about The Betty Ennis Foundation Charity in Coventry highlights the struggle many charities are facing to cover increased bills. Thankfully the rise in customers and those wanting – or needing – to shop in charity retail will help to offset some of the extra costs, but there’s no doubt that times are hard just now
‘The cost of running our charity shop foodbank has hit £4,000 – it’s frightening’ | Mirror Online
M&S champion flexible retail hours for staff
Some great ideas here from M&S – so important when facing the challenges of getting the right staff, and being up against other sectors where flexible and home working is more simple.
M&S offers 4-day week for store staff in flexible working drive | Retail Gazette
Recommended:
How to get best results when managing a remote team | Charity Retail Learning
NCBI revisited…
This is an older article, but one that still resonates and has some great sustainability messages. Rosie Henson has since moved over to CRUK and NCBI is now headed up by the fab Beverley Scallan – and continues to do brilliant work in Ireland.
‘Lighter wallet, clearer conscience’: The planet-friendly impact of charity-shop shopping | Image
More About Us
The Charity Retail Consultancy helps charity retailers and other non-profits (including museums and galleries) develop their retail operation, improve their product offer and people, and improve their profitability.
The Charity Retail Learning provides online & face to face training developed by charity retailers, for charity retailers. We work in partnership with the Charity Retail Association to deliver Charity Retail Learning to their members and beyond.
The Charity Retail Coach offers a first class executive coaching service via our Associate, Dan O’Driscoll.
To find out more or to speak to us about how we can help you, please get in touch:
hello@thecharityretailconsultancy.co.uk
Jayne – 07598 243210
Vicki – 07985 574904
Follow us on social media:
Why it’s charity retail’s time to shine and how marketing can help
Blog by Julian Temblett – ‘The Charity Marketeer’ for the Charity Retail Consultancy
It’s very easy to get caught up in the current doom and gloom. With inflation rising, an energy and cost of living crisis, rail strikes and high street retailers preparing for a challenging Christmas ahead – I sometimes feel like I’ve woken up back in the 1970’s. And I know our sector has its own significant challenges. The post Covid world and recent events have left us with less volunteers, staff shortages, a rise in energy bills and a likely drop in stock donations, as people buy less and trade more. But now is not the time to press the panic button. A couple of weeks ago I took a stroll up Park Street in Bristol, and was reminded of why I feel optimistic about what lies ahead. Park Street has always been one of Bristol’s most premium of retail destinations, and today is no different. With a mixture of top end fashion brands like Fred Perry and Jigsaw, noodle bars and students on scooters – there is definitely a buzz in the air. What is most striking however is that a new fashion phenomenon has arrived. I was visiting the British Heart Foundation’s new boutique shop at the top of the street, which sits alongside a growing array of thrift and vintage stores. If this can happen on Park Street – it can happen anywhere.
Charity shops are now being welcomed, not shunned
BHF, Park St, Bristol
This is an incredible turnaround for a sector once stigmatised as ‘bringing down’ the high street. You can literally ‘feel the love for preloved’ in the air. The same goes on social media, and even local retailers have welcomed the new BHF shop with donations of end of line stock and gifts for opening day customers. This follows a number of major social trends, from the environmental crisis and desire for a greater sense of community following Covid, to a new generation of consumers searching for authenticity who proudly wear preloved as a badge of honour. At the start of the year Forbes highlighted ‘conscious consumers and the environment’ as their top retail trend, and every business and commercial retailer now has ‘sustainability and social purpose’ near the top of the to do list.
This is of course all music to our ears, because no one else can deliver more on these trends than charity shops. Every time we tell a story about the money and carbon saved from switching to preloved, or the charitable services funded by donating unwanted items – our collective brand just keeps getting stronger. Yes, we have always tended to do well during recessions – but these customer changes are on a different scale.
The competition is only going to increase
Patagonia, Bristol
But this is also not the time for complacency. The other significant change is that the commercial sector has now truly woken up. Whilst this has been building over the years, research from Thred-up suggests the market for fashion resale will double by 2025, with 62% of millennials and gen Z consumers in the US now searching for second hand before buying new. Where the customer goes, commercial investment and innovation will follow. New ‘sustainable’ propositions will pop up on high streets, major retailers will increase space for resale, and advertising spend will rocket. On Park Street you get a taster of what’s to come. Patagonia offer to mend your old garments, recycle unwanted t-shirts and promote petitions to help save the planet. One thrift store promotes its loyalty rewards and regular offers on Instagram, and another allows you to trace a product’s origins with a QR code. All of this is music to Gen Z’s ears.
How we can all use marketing to help
Whilst the sector is already responding with a focus in areas such as ecommerce, social media and new store formats – I think many of the answers lie within the need for effective marketing. Going back to marketing basics can help all of us, no matter our size or budget. There are 5 key ways I think marketing can help…
1.Listening to our customers – at the heart of all marketing is a need to put ourselves in the customers shoes. Surveys, mystery shops and even focus groups can all be done on a budget, and provide rich information to ensure we know what our customers want and think of our offer
2. Being more strategic – Setting goals, being clear on the customers we are targeting, and shaping a joined-up plan of action that everyone buys into, really can help to focus resources, inspire teams and deliver results
3. Using cost effective means of promotion – Whether it’s providing shop teams with the key resources and support they need to promote themselves and engage their communities, or coordinating central charity colleagues to promote retail campaigns – we need to exploit every opportunity we can to market ourselves
4. Matching our product offering to our customers’ needs – from vintage sections to corporate volunteer days and post-back donations – we need to keep innovating to appeal to a new generation of customers
5. Making our products and services more available – whether it’s a pop-up at a festival, a concession in a supermarket or a new online selling platform – we need to find new ways to take our offer out to customers. And the same goes with stock and volunteering, where local communities and partnerships provide rich opportunities to promote our services
Oxfam’s Second Hand September and Barnardo’s ‘Fashion for all’ campaigns are shining examples of what can be achieved on a national scale. And many specialist shops, like BHF Park Street, appeal directly to their local customer. Whatever the size of your chain, the same basic marketing principles apply. The most important thing to remember is that the customer is always right, and if we recognise this and respond accordingly, then I really do think it will be charity retail’s time to shine.
If you can see the value in more effective marketing, then why not get in touch and let us help? Our expertise can make an impact quickly, provide support to your teams, and avoid having to add to the already long to do list.
Julian Temblett is the ‘Charity Retail Marketeer’ for the Charity Retail Consultancy, providing a range of affordable marketing services, training and support to help charities of all sizes.
New Marketing Essentials for Charity Retail training course
Learn the essentials in 2 ½ hours and make an impact for your shops
Early bird offer – £50 £40 – find out more
Charity Retail Marketing health-check
Get your charity 2023 Marketing ready with a comprehensive health check to help you and your teams
Special Autumn offer – find out more
Find out more about Julian and all of our marketing services
Each week we share with you our pick of the best stories on charity retail, shopping secondhand and the circular economy from the UK, Ireland and around the world.
We also add links to relevant Charity Retail Learning courses associated with each article to help you implement some of the ideas we’re sharing
Here’s our pick from the past 7 days
St Barnabas Hospice host a vintage lock-in
We love this event put on by our friends at St Barnabas in Lincoln. It’s a great collaboration, with local (Lincoln Bloggers UK) and national (Charity Shop Girl) influencers and providing a special and unique out of hours experience for their customers. Events like this are a great way to engage and delight your community – and get them off their devices and into your stores
Vintage Lock-In at The Warehouse | St Barnabas Hospice
Recommended:
Happy 100th birthday Vinnies!
St Vincent de Paul Society Australia – or Vinnie’s as it’s affectionately known – celebrates 100 years of trading via its Op Shops this year. This article gives some fab insight into its history – and champions a brilliant initiative where 100 donated designer pieces are hidden across the store network
100 designer pieces hidden on the racks in op-shop treasure hunt | Sydney Morning Herald
More than half of UK citizens are happy to buy second-hand clothing
THanks to the Charity Retail Association for highlighting a new report from Textiles 2030 on attitudes to secondhand clothing. You can find out more here
Textiles 2030 – Citizen Insights Study | Charity Retail Association
Spotlight on Traid
Here’s a great interview with one of the team from the fabulous Traid, who run shops across London
Cost of living: The Walthamstow charity shop seeing an increase in clothes shoppers | MyLondon
Scope launches upcycling and awareness project via their stores
This sounds like a really positive collab on all sides – delivering sustainable and unique product, and promoting the aims of the charity
Furniture business joins forces with Scope to spotlight power of art and autism | Yahoo
Recommended:
Green credentials for charity retailers | Charity Retail Learning
World of Books Group officially carbon neutral
Congratulations to our friends at Wob (who also deliver Shopiago) who announced today that they are now officially certified as Operational Carbon Neutral. As a sustainable sector, it’s important to know that suppliers take sustainability seriously too – at The Consultancy we’ve taken several steps to reduce our carbon footprint, including having an electric vehicle, delivering training and other services online as much as possible and significantly reducing how much we fly.
Wob said today:
“Over the last few years, we’ve been working really hard to reduce the amount of carbon we create as a business and, thanks to everyone’s efforts behind the scenes, we’re now officially certified as “Operational Carbon Neutral”. This means that as a business we are now offsetting more carbon than we produce.
This is an amazing accomplishment for Wob and it means we’re making a really positive impact on the planet. Our whole business model is based on a “future first” approach and as early adopters of carbon neutrality, we’re not afraid to make huge changes to future-proof our planet.”
More About Us
The Charity Retail Consultancy helps charity retailers and other non-profits (including museums and galleries) develop their retail operation, improve their product offer and people, and improve their profitability.
The Charity Retail Learning provides online & face to face training developed by charity retailers, for charity retailers. We work in partnership with the Charity Retail Association to deliver Charity Retail Learning to their members and beyond.
The Charity Retail Coach offers a first class executive coaching service via our Associate, Dan O’Driscoll.
To find out more or to speak to us about how we can help you, please get in touch:
hello@thecharityretailconsultancy.co.uk
Jayne – 07598 243210
Vicki – 07985 574904
Follow us on social media:
Each week we share with you our pick of the best stories on charity retail, shopping secondhand and the circular economy from the UK, Ireland and around the world.
We also add links to relevant Charity Retail Learning courses associated with each article to help you implement some of the ideas we’re sharing
Here’s our pick from the past 7 days
Declining volunteer numbers a major challenge
We know this is a major issue for many charities just now – and the Civil Society Charity Shops survey reflects that here:
Number of charity shop volunteers drops by nearly a quarter in three years | Civil Society
Recommended:
Volunteer Induction & Recognition | Charity Retail Learning
Royal visit to Greenwich & Bexley Community Hospice shop
The Princess of Gloucester paid a rescheduled visit to our friends at Greenwich & Bexley Community Hospice after it had to be postponed due to Covid. The team there were delighted that she asked to visit their Greenwich High Rd shop – and insisted that it wasn’t closed during her visit. She met and spoke with staff, volunteers and customers. A great endorsement for charity retail and local high streets
The Duchess of Gloucester visits Greenwich & Bexley Community Hospice | Royal.uk
Charity retail, Portuguese style….
We always love to see what’s happening around the world (we were over in Australia this week at Charitable Recycling Australia’s conference), so it’s great to see this piece on a charity retail chain in Portugal.
WOOFF charity shops in aid of Animal Rescue Algarve | Portugal Resident
Lidl Disposals List
If you’re on the look out for a large format store, signing up to receive the Lidl Disposals list is a great place to start. Sent via email each month, it includes all the units the business currently has on the market, including stores and smaller adjacent units. You can sign up for it by emailing lidl.disposals-GB@lidl.co.uk
More mainstream retailers join the secondhand revolution
News from the US on resale and GenZ and a new partnership between Hot Topic and ThredUp – showing the growing interest in resale from mainstream retailers. Protecting our stock supply will be a real priority in the coming months and years.
How resale apps are courting Gen Z shoppers | Modern Retail
Hot Topic launches resale offer with ThredUp | Fashion United
Recommended:
Right stock, right shop – how to effectively stock your shops | Charity Retail Learning
More About Us
The Charity Retail Consultancy helps charity retailers and other non-profits (including museums and galleries) develop their retail operation, improve their product offer and people, and improve their profitability.
The Charity Retail Learning provides online & face to face training developed by charity retailers, for charity retailers. We work in partnership with the Charity Retail Association to deliver Charity Retail Learning to their members and beyond.
The Charity Retail Coach offers a first class executive coaching service via our Associate, Dan O’Driscoll.
To find out more or to speak to us about how we can help you, please get in touch:
hello@thecharityretailconsultancy.co.uk
Jayne – 07598 243210
Vicki – 07985 574904
Follow us on social media:
Each week we share with you our pick of the best stories on charity retail, shopping secondhand and the circular economy from the UK, Ireland and around the world.
We also add links to relevant Charity Retail Learning courses associated with each article to help you implement some of the ideas we’re sharing
Here’s our pick from the past 7 days
Get ready for a pre-loved Christmas!
All the signs are that pre-loved will be the first choice for shoppers this Christma – for gifts, home wear and party clothes. Make sure you’re ready for a bumber Golden Quarter – and if you make a great impression with some of the shoppers who are new to charity retail and they’ll keep coming back all year round
Recommended:
Charity Shop Survey – the results are in
We’re so fortunate as a sector to have brilliant insights from the CRA and from the annual Charity Shop survey by Civil Society. The latter has just been published and one of the headlines is a decrease in cash donation via shops – as well as charities starting to see a decline in donations of stock – both in terms of quantity and quality. We will need to work hard to attract to goods we need to meet the rise in demand from shoppers
Charity shops lose over £2m in cash donations in three years | Civil Society
Recommended:
Right stock, right shop – how to effectively stock your shops | Charity Retail Learning
Selling lottery tickets via your shops
Increasingly we’re seeing more joined up work between retail and fundraising teams – a fantastic move as pooling talents and working together can really elevate results. Here’s an example from St Catherine’s Hospice in North Yorkshire, launching single lottery tickets sales via their chain of shops
Saint Catherine’s launches lottery – chance to win up to £20k | York Press
Recommended:
Big Issue showcases charity retail
A nice article about where to find some of the UK’s best charity shops, featuring- Oxfam,Crisis,Traid, Mary’s Living & Giving (from Save the Children), British Heart Foundation& Mind
You can also search for charity shops in your area via the CRA’s Find a shop – make sure your shops are featured and your details up to date if you’re a CRA member
Charities with shops: Where to find Britain’s best charity shops | The Big Issue
Mind store launched in Carnaby Street shopping district
We’ve loved seeing the coverage of this fab new store in the heart of London’s trendy shopping district. Once again showing that preloved is definitely the coolest way to shop. Make sure you visit if you’re passing!
Carnaby to welcome first permanent charity shop | Retail Bulletin | The Retail Bulletin
More About Us
The Charity Retail Consultancy helps charity retailers and other non-profits (including museums and galleries) develop their retail operation, improve their product offer and people, and improve their profitability.
The Charity Retail Learning provides online & face to face training developed by charity retailers, for charity retailers. We work in partnership with the Charity Retail Association to deliver Charity Retail Learning to their members and beyond.
The Charity Retail Coach offers a first class executive coaching service via our Associate, Dan O’Driscoll.
To find out more or to speak to us about how we can help you, please get in touch:
hello@thecharityretailconsultancy.co.uk
Jayne – 07598 243210
Vicki – 07985 574904
Follow us on social media:
Kat Maclennan, Visual Merchandising Associate– The Charity Retail Consultancy
Click here to learn more about our upcoming webinar:
Book a place on the webinar now and receive our Buy-1-Get-1-Free deal
As Charity shop retailers we inherently understand the sustainability benefits that charity shopping brings to our community and the environment. However, this message is sometimes challenging to communicate to customers, and we can often take for granted that everyone understands how even small actions can help to save our planet.
Oxfam
All brands are fighting to promote their sustainability credentials to customers, from Ebay advertising their ‘preloved’ clothes to a young consumer via Love Island sponsorship to Cos and Lulu Lemon offering resale programs and encouraging a full circle marketplace.
This is all good news for our exciting sector, ensuring sustainability is front and centre in customers’ minds and charity retail is obviously the easiest and best way to shop in a truly worthwhile way.
How can we use imaginative VM to highlight these powerful benefits? I believe we can have a three-pronged approach to this….
Firstly, to communicate how buying second hand helps the environment through saving materials, energy and waste. Can you visually demonstrate in your window how much water is saved by purchasing jeans from your shop and maybe run the theme throughout your store, creating a destination denim area? Or explain how shopping locally saves transportation damage to the environment showing the distance certain products have travelled?
Secondly, highlight the ‘second life’ customers can give to your donated product? Customising and repurposing clothes and furniture, visually showing how pieces can fit into home and lifestyle through VM and workshops is great. Or tell the amazing story of key items, a
St Michael’s Hospice , Herefordshire
special wedding dress, record collection, or piece of furniture, who owned them before, where have they been, what have they seen?
Finally, it is incredibly important to be credible from a green perspective in everything we do, from the re use of packaging to the
construction and design of window displays and shop fits, we must be telling the same sustainable message and communicating this to customers.
If you would like more tips on how Visual Merchandising can help tell your sustainability story along with an understanding of the possible barriers to success and possible solutions to help achieve your goals, join me on 19th October for a Charity Retail Learning webinar.
Look forward to seeing you there!
More About Us
The Charity Retail Consultancy helps charity retailers and other non-profits (including museums and galleries) develop their retail operation, improve their product offer and people, and improve their profitability.
The Charity Retail Learning provides online & face to face training developed by charity retailers, for charity retailers. We work in partnership with the Charity Retail Association to deliver Charity Retail Learning to their members and beyond.
The Charity Retail Coach offers a first class executive coaching service via our Associate, Dan O’Driscoll.
To find out more or to speak to us about how we can help you, please get in touch:
hello@thecharityretailconsultancy.co.uk
Jayne – 07598 243210
Vicki – 07985 574904
Follow us on social media:
Each week we share with you our pick of the best stories on charity retail, shopping secondhand and the circular economy from the UK, Ireland and around the world.
We also add links to relevant Charity Retail Learning courses associated with each article to help you implement some of the ideas we’re sharing
Here’s our pick from the past 7 days
Reaching out to students
Fab to see charity shops front and centre in this article for new students in Bristol. If you have a local student population, make sure you’re in touch with the colleges & universities to help them spread the word about your shops – or get in touch with other charity retailers in your area and make a coordinated approach for an even bigger impact
Bristol on a Budget: A fresher’s low-cost living guide | Epigram
Recommended:
British Retail Consortium encouraging members to work with charity retailers
The British Retail Consortium announced it has developed new guidelines to help keep clothing in circulation. Developed by a combination of retailers, resale platforms, charity retailers and other industry experts, the voluntary initiative outlines steps retailers can take to adhere to the principles of circular economy for used clothes. Make sure your charity is in touch with local and national retailers to take advantage of their interest in the circular economy and forge new partnerships
BRC launches guidelines for used clothing | Lets Recycle
Recommended:
Right stock, right shop – how to effectively stock your shops | Charity Retail Learning
How much?!
Lots of you will have seen the news about a Ming vase featured on Antiques Roadshow, picked up for a few pounds in a charity shop. It’s gutting for the sector when we see these stories – but perhaps it also drives new customers in search of that elusive mega-bargain too. Reaching out to local dealers, specialists and auctioneers can sometimes help find the right price for more unusual items. We’ll soon be launching a new course on pricing so keep your eyes peeled for that
Shopping secondhand online – new tech from the US
An interesting read, demonstrating that secondhand ecommerce isn’t standing still for one second just now
Gently’s shopping aggregator aims to remove friction of locating secondhand apparel | TechCrunch
Recommended:
Introduction to ecommerce | Charity Retail Learning
Happy 75th Birthday, Oxfam Broad St
The shop often cited as the first modern day charity shop – set up by Joe Mitty in Oxford – celebrities its 75th anniversary this year
Oxford charity shop to celebrate 75th anniversary | Oxford Mail
More About Us
The Charity Retail Consultancy helps charity retailers and other non-profits (including museums and galleries) develop their retail operation, improve their product offer and people, and improve their profitability.
The Charity Retail Learning provides online & face to face training developed by charity retailers, for charity retailers. We work in partnership with the Charity Retail Association to deliver Charity Retail Learning to their members and beyond.
The Charity Retail Coach offers a first class executive coaching service via our Associate, Dan O’Driscoll.
To find out more or to speak to us about how we can help you, please get in touch:
hello@thecharityretailconsultancy.co.uk
Jayne – 07598 243210
Vicki – 07985 574904
Follow us on social media:
Each week we share with you our pick of the best stories on charity retail, shopping secondhand and the circular economy from the UK, Ireland and around the world.
We also add links to relevant Charity Retail Learning courses associated with each article to help you implement some of the ideas we’re sharing
Here’s our pick from the past 7 days
Thanks to the CRA for a great conference
It was so good to be in Harrogate last week, meeting up with so many brilliant charity retailers and suppliers. We hope you all had as good as time as we did. Thank you to all the team at the CRA for an amazing couple of days – and for everything else they do for our sector.
Recommended:
Safeguarding | Charity Retail Learning (Free for all CRA Members)
It’s Sustainable Fashion Week!
It’s been great seeing some of the fab events and activities going on for SFW this year. This event will only grow and grow – make sure you take part next year if you’re not doing so in ‘22.
Sustainable Fashion Week launches in Bristol this weekend | Epigram
Our favourite so far is St Oswald’s Hospice in Newcastle who are telling the story behind fast fashion & showing how to style second hand in their shops and on their social media
In celebration of Sustainable Fashion Week, we are also promoting our upcoming Sustainability based Visual Merchandising Webinar. Book a place on the webinar now and take advantage of our Buy-1-Get-1-Free special offer!
New stats from the CRA
The Charity Retail Association have released their latest Quarterly Market Analysis. If you’re a member you can check out their fantastic research covering a wide range of subjects. If you’re not a member – join up today!
The headlines are that staffing remains a challenge, transaction numbers – and as a consequence, income – have risen steeply, online selling remains strong and donation quality has declined slightly.
Executive summary – Charity Retail Association- QMA Analysis Q2 2022.pdf
Secondhand furniture hits the headlines
This Big Issue article highlighting furniture shops run by charities is a handy reference point and a reminder that as the cost-of-living crisis impacts on us all, making sure your community knows what you sell and where is even more important. Use your social media, local press, charity newsletters and ambassadors to put the word out
Where to find charity furniture shops | The Big Issue
Recommended:
Space management – making the most of your shop floor | Charity Retail Learning
Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland takes steps to make their stores more accessible
We loved reading about how CHSS are using new technology to improve access for people with disabilities to their store in Wishaw. We heard from Steph Edusei at Conference about how accessibility is so important – and this is one example of how we can make a difference
More About Us
The Charity Retail Consultancy helps charity retailers and other non-profits (including museums and galleries) develop their retail operation, improve their product offer and people, and improve their profitability.
The Charity Retail Learning provides online & face to face training developed by charity retailers, for charity retailers. We work in partnership with the Charity Retail Association to deliver Charity Retail Learning to their members and beyond.
The Charity Retail Coach offers a first class executive coaching service via our Associate, Dan O’Driscoll.
To find out more or to speak to us about how we can help you, please get in touch:
hello@thecharityretailconsultancy.co.uk
Jayne – 07598 243210
Vicki – 07985 574904
Follow us on social media:
Each week we share with you our pick of the best stories on charity retail, shopping secondhand and the circular economy from the UK, Ireland and around the world.
We also add links to relevant Charity Retail Learning courses associated with each article to help you implement some of the ideas we’re sharing
Here’s our pick from the past 7 days
The Charity Retail Marketeer
We’re introducing a brand new service to our Consultancy.
The Charity Retail Marketeer will be bringing you charity retail specific support on all things marketing related. And to make sure we’re offering you exactly what you need, we’ve set up a quick survey to gather your ideas.
It only takes a couple of minutes to complete – and one lucky respondent will win our brand new Charity Retail Marketing Essentials course.
The Good Store
Our friends at Groundwork London recently opened a sustainable department store on South Molton St, London. The store is a whole new concept, offering sustainable products – either secondhand, upcycled or ethically and sustainably made. Traid are partnering with Groundwork to bring a curated clothing offer to the store. Definitely worth checking out!
Sustainable department store The Good Store opens in London – Retail Gazette
CRL course: Green Credentials for Charity Retailers
Have you got your collectables pricing right?
TV auctioneer, Charles Hanson, is finding underpriced treasures for sale in charity shops and sharing them with his followers on Twitter. Great to drive people into our shops – but not so great if we don’t recognise those donations that have greater value. His Twitter account is definitely worth following to help grow your knowledge of antiques and collectables
TV auctioneer shares which £1.50 charity shop finds are worth £100 – Daily Record
Volunteers needed…..
We’re all feeling the pinch volunteer wise, since the pandemic. This article shows how the Home Start Aberdeen charity shop supports really vital services in these challenging times, but is being limited due to lack of volunteers. It’s really important to consider fresh ways of attracting volunteers to our sector – with the general interest in sustainability and Secondhand September about to start, now is a great time to get those messages out there
‘We need YOU’: More volunteers needed to meet charity shop demand (pressandjournal.co.uk)
CRL courses: Volunteer Recruitment & Volunteer Induction & Recognition
Salvation Army joins the superstore movement
Another fabulous superstore opened this week -this time from the Salvation Army in Redcar. This article not only focuses on the shop opening, but how it can help people struggling with the cost of living crisis – and appealing for stock. All great messages to be getting out now.
Conference is almost here!
The highlight of the year – the Charity Retail Association Conference is just a few weeks away. Have you booked your place yet? It already has more delegates attending than ever before, so don’t miss out on being there. Booking closes on Monday 5th September.
We’re thrilled that our friend & Tik Tok sensation Jen – aka Charity Shop Girl – will be co-hosting the award ceremony too. See you there!
Charity retail conference and exhibition 2022 – Charity Retail Association
More About Us
The Charity Retail Consultancy helps charity retailers and other non-profits (including museums and galleries) develop their retail operation, improve their product offer and people, and improve their profitability.
The Charity Retail Academy provides online & face to face training developed by charity retailers, for charity retailers. We work in partnership with the Charity Retail Association to deliver Charity Retail Learning to their members and beyond.
The Charity Retail Coach offers a first class executive coaching service via our Associate, Dan O’Driscoll.
To find out more or to speak to us about how we can help you, please get in touch:
hello@thecharityretailconsultancy.co.uk
Jayne – 07598 243210
Vicki – 07985 574904
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