As the heatwave raged over the summer, so did headlines spelling doom for charity shops. The British Heart Foundation announced that it would close 150 shops by March 2028, while Cancer Research will shut down almost 200 stores by April 2027 with plans to open 12 out-of-town ‘superstores’ across the country. Few made the environmental connection.
Charity shops are viewed in paradoxical ways; for some a lifeline for affordable secondhand clothing, a way of raising money for key causes and a handy place to drop the stuff we no longer want. Equally, they are often regarded as a blight on the high street, emblems of decline and dissatisfaction. It’s unusual for anyone to speak of withering town centres without using charity shops as an example of the sadness at the core of a struggling area.
