By Daily Mail Reporter
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The ‘squeezed middle’ is fuelling a boom in charity shops as families are forced off the high street to buy second-hand clothes and furniture.
The demand has prompted one charity to open three out-of-town superstores as customers clamour for used stock such as clothes, electrical goods, sofas and beds.
The Sue Ryder organisation, which provides palliative care in communities, has opened a 2,965sq ft store in King’s Lynn which took more than £2,100 on its first day of trading.
High demand: The Sue Ryder organisation is expanding its high street shops, including this one in King's Lynn, as customers look to buy more second-hand clothes and furniture in the downturn
Cashing in: The out-of-town store in King's Lynn took £2,100 on its first day of trading
In the past year, the charity has opened a 4,000sq ft shop at a retail park in Fakenham, Norfolk, and another 2,723sq ft shop in a former golf store in Meanwood, Leeds.
Jo Panks, of Sue Ryder, put the expansion down to a new type of customer.
She said: ‘It’s the squeezed middle and the people who wouldn’t normally have shopped with us a year or so ago that we are seeing now.’
The success story is mirrored elsewhere in the charity sector.
Oxfam’s 700 shops and online store announced annual takings of £85.9million in 2011, an increase of 6 per cent on the previous year.
Wendy Mitchell of the Charity Retail Association, said: ‘People feeling the pinch in their pockets are turning to charity shops to buy high-quality, low-cost items.’
It emerged this week that the disposable weekly income of the average family has fallen by 6.5 per cent in a year to £144, according to the Asda Income Tracker.
Boom time: Oxfam¿s 700 shops and online store announced annual takings of £85.9million in 2011, an increase of 6 per cent on the previous year
Earlier this month it was announced that discount retailer Kwiksave is back in business five years after it went into administration and disappeared from Britain's high streets.
The first new store in the country is in the village of Little Lever, Bolton, Greater Manchester, after the brand was bought by budget supermarket group, Costcutter.
The move follows the booming trade of credit crunch-busting stores as cash-strapped families seek bargains during the economic downturn.
Discount retailers including Wilkinson, Pound Stretcher and 99p Stores are amongst the top ten independent grocery retailers and their growth mirrors the rise of the big cut-price supermarket chains such as Aldi and Lidl.
It is in stark contrast to the impact the downturn has had on the rest of the retail sector. In badly-affected areas of Britain, more than one in five shops is boarded up, according to a recent report from the Local Data Company.
The new launch of the bu dget chain could see it thrive in this climate.
Kwiksave bosses will use the Bolton outlet as a litmus test for success and hope the chain will become a familiar name again around Britain.
York-based supermarket group Costcutter bought the rights to the name and has relaunched the brand with a changed name. The revamped logo will see Kwik Save change to Kwiksave under the new plans.
Discount retailer Kwiksave is back in business five years after it went into administration and disappeared from Britain's high streets
Costcutter propose to market their budget offering with a high-profile TV campaign as part of their strategy to segment its stores to appeal to a wider demographic.
The convenience store brand will feature in a 'Local Pride' campaign which will see the supermarket positioned as the hub of the local community.
The new shop, just outside Bolton, was formerly a Premier store and has been refitted by store director Bhavesh Parekh.
Mr Parekh said: 'We were asked if we would like to take it on and be the flagship store of the North.
'It's been absolutely amazing, we've had a very positive reaction from the public and a real uplift of new customers who didn't used to shop with us.'
Nick Ivel, chief executive of Costcutter Supermarkets Group, added: 'Kwiksave is an iconic brand that was a fixture on the high street for many years.
'We are very excited about opening the doors on the first store in Bolton.'
The supermarket chain's 50-year hi story came to an end in 2007 and a select number of outlets were reborn as Fresh Express.
The stores closed abruptly and thousands of employees arrived at work to find 'closed' signs making the announcement.
Irish multi-millionaire entrepreneur Brendan Murtagh bought the group and re-branded stores in south Wales, the north, east Midlands and Merseyside.
He bought 56 of the firm's stores for for £18million, saving about 600 jobs.
Albert Gubay founded the chain in 1965 in Prestatyn, north Wales, and sold it eight years later for £14million, helping him to amass a fortune of £500million.
Two years ago, he declared his intention to give away his fortune to charity to fulfil a promise he made to God.
The last two Kwiksave stores in Bolton were closed in May 2007.
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Firstly this report mentions the Sue Ryder shop in Fakenham. It is not on a retail park at all - it's just on a main road in a residential area. Secondly, although I still visit charity shops, I do think they've had their day. I was a volunteer in one for 15 years and over the years we had an antique dealer, a book dealer and a vintage clothing shop owner all wheedled their way in so that they get all the best bargains before the stuff goes out on the floor.You would be very, very fortunate indeed to get a real bargain these days. As others have said Primark, Asda, Matalan stuff is put out for more than it costs brand new!
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I only give my support to local charity shops such as St Vincent De Paul and the Salvation Army. Both run by volunteers and no big salaries to pay. I wouldn't give a thing to Oxfam knowing that I'd be lucky if 1% of what they made went to help people.- Kayla, Enniskillen N Ireland, 28/4/2012 21:34------ By all means support any charity that's great but Oxfam is run by volunteers. I have worked once a week for many many years and never been paid. The managers are paid but not the volunteers working in the shops
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What has this Country become. Food stations, old clothes stations. for christ sake get you asses in to gear and sort this mess out. Stop giving our money away...
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What other kind of business if any gets everything they sell Totally FREE Joe Public Banner of Charity
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Linda..Hampshire..22.07..... Totally agree....I was in my local Dove House Cancer Hospice today, and saw a volunteer grab 2 items from a shelf filler from the back, before the items could even be seen.....I then saw a local dealer take a box of pottery for peanuts, before it could get put on the shelves for sale....Then another volunteer decided to take 4 items of clothing home to try on, maybe to bring them back on Monday....I had a happy Saturday ??????
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Yep, just look what 13 years of New Labour has done to this country, yet Milipede and Balls will have you all believe it's all the Tories fault. Well they may be toffs, but even Idon't believe they could cause this much damage in under 2 yrs.
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I visit charity shops to try buy things to sell on (without any luck), too be honest unless there is a hidden gem, it's overpriced junk
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This is not some sign the country is so hard up. Get real. Some still have plenty. Just another shopping fad
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I am happy to shop in charity shops- it is an excellent way of recycling clothing and books etc. I do not want the earth to have to produce extra for me, when there is so much already made which is going to waste. If I need new work clothes for example, I will go into a few charity shops and buy them there, happily. I know the clothes I have bought are of good quality and smart (I get compliments often on my clothing) and i also know I am not wasting resources. I think it is great for people who are "green" to shop in this way. It does also save money which can be spent on other things (ie on my little boy) which I deem more important than buying new clothes for myself. When he has finished with his clothes, they also go to Charity shops, to not waste the clothing, to raise money for charity, and most importantly of all, to give someone else things they need at a low cost. We need to help each other, I would happily give the clothing free to anyone who needed it too in my area.
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Charity shops are a rip-off, I've seen Primark clothing selling in them for more than it orginally cost in Primark itself as for anything from MS or Next, they just charge a ludicrous price. Remember they get their stock for free they don't pay business rates either, so it's all pure profit. No wonder the CEOs of these charties can drive around in the latest 4X4s. I prefer to buy what I want from private sellers on ebay(I sometimes sell on ebay myself) at least I know the money is going straight to someone who may need it.
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