The British Heart Foundation who operate the prominent town centre charity shop in Penrith, have announced proposals to close 150 of its charity shops and stores over the next two years to ensure the charities retail network remains commercially sustainable and continues to generate vital funds for lifesaving research.
The decision follows a detailed review of their retail estate amid rising operating costs and changing customer habits, which means some of their charity shops and stores are no longer financially sustainable.
The charity have proposed closing around 90 stores by the end of March 2027, and the remainder by March 2028. There is also a proposed reduction in the central teams and functions that support our retail operation.
The changes are designed to ensure our retail network remains strong and sustainable, contributing vital funds to power research into cardiovascular disease, which cause around one death every three minutes in the UK.
A spokes person for the British Heart Foundation said “Our overall financial position remains healthy, with continuing strong performance across fundraising and legacy income”.
“We will continue to operate a large national network of shops and online retail channels, including eBay and our website, and will continue to evolve retail operations to reflect changing customer shopping behaviours and donor habits in the years ahead”.
Dr Charmaine Griffiths, Chief Executive of the British Heart Foundation said: “Our shops mean so much to our colleagues, brilliant volunteers and communities across the UK. They are places where people come together to donate, shop and volunteer, helping to make a real difference to lives affected by cardiovascular disease
“We know this will be a difficult time for our dedicated colleagues and volunteers in affected stores and emphasise our deep appreciation and gratitude for all they have done for BHF and the communities they serve.
“Like most retailers, we are facing an exceptionally challenging trading environment. Cardiovascular disease remains one of the UK’s biggest killers and our priority is funding research to save lives. We must take the difficult step to close some of our shops to sustain retail’s important contribution to funding BHF’s groundbreaking research.”
Allison Swaine-Hughes, Chief Commercial Officer of the charity said: “Our success to date has been shaped by the dedication and contribution of our teams across the UK and this has been an incredibly difficult decision following a thorough and careful review. We recognise how challenging this will be especially for colleagues whose roles are affected and we are committed to supporting everyone impacted”.
“We must act now to ensure a sustainable future for BHF retail. Change is essential so we can continue to serve communities across the UK and raise the funds that power our lifesaving research. This is about protecting our mission for the long term, even when the decisions in the shorter term are hard.”
Supporters will still be able to shop as normal and donate items while affected shops remain open. After closures take place, The charity said it will continue to gratefully take donations through nearby shops, donation points, home collection services in some areas, and online post to donate options.
The locations of the shops and stores earmarked for closure will be issued by the charity once all those affected in the charity shops earmarked for closure have been personally notified of the proposals by the charity.
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