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The UK's first 'charity supermarket' to open

Words by Abi Scaife

The UK’s first ‘charity supermarket’ is launching in London, in a brand-new concept that brings together – for the first time – multiple of Britain’s charity retailers.

The aim? To creating a charity-style physical department store in a large former Topshop.

Charity department store?! Tell me more.

The Charity Super.Mkt is basically one huge charity shop, where you can secondhand shop to your heart's content, and support multiple charities while you do it.

It's located inside Brent Cross shopping centre, and will be there for a whole month. For four weeks, The Charity Super.Mkt have taken over an empty space inside Brent’s Cross shopping centre.

And how did it come about?

Organised by Wayne Hemingway of Red or Dead and Hemmingway Design and TRAID CEO Maria Chenoweth, the venture connects 10 different charities that have offered up the best of their donated clothing.

"Charity retail is the understated best of sustainable business," say the founders, "providing everyone the opportunity to buy good and do good, from supporting the environmental benefits of shopping secondhand to providing critical funding for causes both local and global.”

Sounds amazing!

It does, doesn’t it! The 10 charities involved are Age UK, All Aboard, Barnardo’s, Cancer Research, Emmaus, Havens Hospice, SCT, Marie Curie, TRAID, and Shelter.

Spaces given to Charity Super.Mkt will reduce carbon emissions through retailing goods that need no new production or supply chains. "Our spaces will be the best of reuse, turning unwanted into wanted," they say.  

The Charity Super.Mkt hopes to encourage buying secondhand clothing for the sake of charities, and our environment.

Charity Super.Mkt will open from 10am on Friday, 27 January until 8pm on Saturday, 25 February. Customers are also encouraged to donate a pre-loved item in-store.

This article aligns with the UN SDGs Climate Action and Partnerships for the Goals.

This article aligns with the following UN SDGs

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