Charity shops struggling to cope as volunteer and shopper numbers dive

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Mar 18, 2020

The Charity Retail Association has sent a letter to Rishi Sunak asking for increased support from the government as many charity shops across the UK are forced to close or substantially reduce their opening hours due to the coronavirus.

Robin Osterley, the chief executive of the organisation, said over 230,000 people volunteer in a charity shop, including many over-70s.

More than 9,000 charity shops belonging to nearly 400 different charities work with the Charity Retail Association. They generate millions of pounds for the respective charities and keep huge amounts of material, particularly clothing, out of landfill.

“Many of our shops rely on volunteers, a high proportion of whom are quite elderly and who are understandably reluctant to move from their houses given the Government's recent restrictions. Further, reduced footfall in the High Street due to social distancing restrictions is clearly having a dramatic adverse impact on sales and productivity generally,” Osterley said in the letter.

Expect more closures and major announcements in the next few days, he added.

The association has asked the government to significantly increase the amount of money that is being made available to support organisations facing financial distress, and that this money is made available as quickly as possible. 

The organisation supports major charities including Oxfam, which operates about 650 stores across the UK and children’s charity Barnardo's, which works with Asos to sell pieces online.