Brent Cross: Charity department store opens in 'UK first'

What is billed arsenic the UK's archetypal multi-charity store has opened to shoppers.

Charity Super.Mkt astatine Brent Cross Shopping Centre sells donated covering supplied by 10 UK charities, including Barnardo's and Cancer Research.

The pop-up store, which is staffed by volunteers, volition beryllium unfastened for a period astatine the northbound London buying centre.

Other charities contributing apparel see Age UK, All Aboard, Emmaus, Havens Hospice, SCT, Marie Curie, TRAID and Shelter.

The section store is the brainchild of Wayne Hemingway, laminitis of the Red oregon Dead manner brand, and Maria Chenoweth, the CEO of TRAID (Textile Reuse and International Development).

Ms Chenoweth said they were inspired to organise the task due to the fact that foundation retailers "weren't getting the designation they deserved".

She said this was a effect of second-hand manner being "hijacked" by bigger companies to entreaty to socially conscious shoppers.

Mr Hemingway said that different cardinal information for opening the pop-up store was to combat the "old-fashioned attitude" that High Street foundation shops were a "sign of decline".

"When you look astatine the demographic of radical who are buying successful foundation shops, it's the radical who are starring the mode successful thinking," helium said, adding that 65% of radical crossed the UK deterioration second-hand apparel astatine slightest erstwhile a week.

Ms Chenoweth besides argued that stereotypes astir foundation shops needed to change.

"It's not a spot of musty aged apparel immoderate more, it's conscionable a spot of normality," she said, adding that post-pandemic, immoderate foundation brands had seen a 20% summation successful sales.

Mr Hemingway said this emergence successful popularity was partially down to young radical looking to "supplement their income", aft seeing tons of them buying items successful Charity Super.Mkt successful bid to resell them online.

He said that foundation shops provided a utile "side-hustle" for "entrepreneurial" young Londoners, who "won't beryllium capable to spend a location until they're astir apt successful the 40s, if astatine all".

He said it was a "win-win" concern for young radical trying to wage the rent and the charities they were buying from.

Ms Chenoweth argued that the summation successful request for second-hand manner was not conscionable down to the rising outgo of living, but was "mainly driven" by shoppers' concerns astir sustainability.

Isaac, 24, and Lauren, 22, said that this was their main inducement for visiting foundation shops.

Lauren said that buying second-hand apparel "feels better", due to the fact that "you get large prime and you're giving to foundation astatine the aforesaid time".

Isaac agreed, adding that it "keeps apparel successful usage for longer and "the money's going to a bully place".

Anita said that she was drawn to the pop-up store portion buying successful Brent Cross due to the fact that it looked antithetic from the emblematic High Street foundation shop.

"It's bully and cleanable and tidy," she said, adding that her girl was a keen foundation shopper: "My daughter's successful uni, she ever goes to foundation shops,

"I thought: 'I person to archer her astir this!'"

Fabia, from Brighton, has agelong been a instrumentality of second-hand fashion, and proudly mentioned that her outfit was wholly made up of apparel from foundation shops.

She said that she enjoyed going to foundation shops due to the fact that "there's much choice".

"It's idiosyncratic and different, you tin find things successful foundation shops that you can't find successful High Street stores," she added, saying she wants a store akin to Charity Super.Mkt to unfastened successful Brighton.

After learning that the pop-up store was antecedently a Topshop, Fabia said: "When large stores adjacent down successful buying malls similar this, it leaves a large gap," adding that it would beryllium "wonderful" if disused store spaces crossed the state were utilized successful a akin way.

The founders of Charity Super.Mkt stock her hopes, and told the BBC they planned to instrumentality Charity Super.Mkt connected tour, visiting cities crossed the UK.

Mr Hemingway said his "dream" was for the store to go similar "the just coming to town", saying that helium wanted it to beryllium an "exciting" acquisition for shoppers.

Charity Super.Mkt volition beryllium unfastened until 27 February.