Latest news with #charityshop
The Sun
a day ago
- Business
- The Sun
Major charity retailer to close three stores starting in days after shutting 35 this year – see the full list
A MAJOR charity shop chain is set to close three more of its stores starting from tomorrow. Disability charity Scope has confirmed its stores in Taunton, Bromley and Portsmouth are all closing this month. 1 The charity previously announced it was considering shutting 77 of its 138 shops across the country. Its bosses said it had to make the difficult decision because of spiralling costs and fewer shoppers heading to the high street. The Taunton store is first to close and will be shutting its doors for good tomorrow. Shoppers responded to the news on Facebook, with one saying: "Oh, no - I've got lots of great bits from there." Another wrote: "Oh no really? That a, really good charity shop aswell." The store in Bromley closes on June 14 while the Portsmouth one is going on June 21. It means shoppers only have days left to grab final bargains from the stores. Debbie Boylen, head of retail at Scope, said: "Our shops have helped us raise vital income to support our work with disabled people and their families. "We know our teams put in their very best efforts, but our shops are collectively now losing money when taking account of all of their costs. "A number make strong profits but there are loss making shops too." Beloved department store chain shutting more locations with clearance sales on now until final May 25 deadline She said the charity had consulted on the proposals to shut 77 shops and had come to the "sad" decision about the Taunton, Bromley and Portsmouth stores. Boylen added: "We've had such incredible support from these wonderful and generous communities. We never take the decision to close our stores lightly. "We recognise for our colleagues and volunteers, it's more than just a job. "We know they feel passionately about playing their part in our work, creating an equal future with disabled people. "We will be doing everything we can to support them and our decision does not reflect their hard work and dedication to Scope." The news comes after Scope already shut 35 of its shops this year. It closed 11 stores between the end of March and the end of May. Full list of Scope closures in 2025 Closed before the end of the consultation in early March: Bexhill Hertford Mitcham Petersfield Scarborough Worthing Closed by March 31: Amersham Barking Bangor Birkenhead Bishop Auckland Castleford Devizes Dewsbury Eastbourne Haywards Heath Lewisham New Milton Orpington Parkstone Scunthorpe Shirley (Southampton) Skipton Workington Closed by May 31: Blyth Hove George Burton Erdington West Hampstead Exmouth Bury Newport Southampton (Portswood Road) Atherstone Welling What's happening at Scope? The charity is among scores of big chains facing trouble on the high street. Chief executive Mark Hodgkinson said previously that its high street stores had been hit by shoppers increasingly turning to online shopping. On top of that, it has faced rising rents, soaring energy costs, increased staff costs, and lower customer spends. In its annual report for the year to March 2023, Scope said it had made £24million from trading activities, including shops and online sales, up from £23.6million the year before. In the same year it had spent £24.7million maintaining and operating its shops, £1million more than the previous year. Hodgkinson said Scope's shops had made a "real contribution to raising vital income" but external factors had "made trading harder". Scope wants to make sure its funds are not taken away from its charitable purpose, the boss said. The store closures have led to a number of job losses and also impacted volunteers. Why are retailers closing shops? EMPTY shops have become an eyesore on many British high streets and are often symbolic of a town centre's decline. The Sun's business editor Ashley Armstrong explains why so many retailers are shutting their doors. In many cases, retailers are shutting stores because they are no longer the money-makers they once were because of the rise of online shopping. Falling store sales and rising staff costs have made it even more expensive for shops to stay open. The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs from April 2025, will cost the retail sector £2.3billion. At the same time, the minimum wage will rise to £12.21 an hour from April, and the minimum wage for people aged 18-20 will rise to £10 an hour, an increase of £1.40. In some cases, retailers are shutting a store and reopening a new shop at the other end of a high street to reflect how a town has changed. The problem is that when a big shop closes, footfall falls across the local high street, which puts more shops at risk of closing. Retail parks are increasingly popular with shoppers, who want to be able to get easy, free parking at a time when local councils have hiked parking charges in towns. Many retailers including Next and Marks & Spencer have been shutting stores on the high street and taking bigger stores in better-performing retail parks instead. In some cases, stores have been shut when a retailer goes bust, as in the case of Carpetright, Debenhams, Dorothy Perkins, Paperchase, Ted Baker, The Body Shop, Topshop and Wilko to name a few. What's increasingly common is when a chain goes bust a rival retailer or private equity firm snaps up the intellectual property rights so they can own the brand and sell it online. They may go on to open a handful of stores if there is customer demand, but there are rarely ever as many stores or in the same places. The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
I found a Sainsbury's receipt from 1981 in a second-hand bag - people can't believe how much prices have changed
A receipt dating back to 1981 was found inside a vintage bag bought by a charity shopper. The anonymous shopper took to Reddit, where they shared their fascinating find with others. They posted an image of the now 44-year-old sales slip in the r/CasualUK forum, accompanying it with a short post. Their post simply read: 'Got a vintage bag from a charity shop, got more excited about the sainsbury receipt left inside from 1981.' The receipt was a fascinated throwback, and a good reminder of how much everyday items have changed over recent decades. One Reddit commenter pointed out how well the item was maintained - despite being around 44-years-old. They wrote: 'I'm impressed at how well the ink held up and they were still using the half penny.' Another noted that this is because the retro receipt was printed with traditional ink (as opposed to the thermal ink now used on receipts). They explained: 'It's proper ink, will last forever if properly stored. Not like the thermal receipts you get now which fade after a few years or less if exposed to sun or heat.' A further commenter was intrigued by the use of old currency. They wrote: 'Love the fact stuff appears to be be priced in some cases at a half penny.' In response, another Redditor said: 'Because there were 1/2 pennys then.' This observation prompted a conversation about new currency. February 15, 1971 is known as 'Decimal Day', as it marks the day British currency changed from the old system of pence, shillings and pounds, to the decimal system of pennies and pounds. However, as another Redditor pointed out: 'It's half a new pence, different from an old pre decimal ha'penny. They're what you bought sweets with in the 70s.' Half pennies were phased out after decimalisation - in 1984 - as inflation and the cost of production meant they were no longer considered economically viable. Meanwhile, another Reddit user was shocked that the sales bill only dated back to the 80s, as they initial thought it was much older. They wrote: 'It's like we are looking at a war time receipt. It's 1981 for God's sake lol. I was born a year after this was printed. I was reading the post thinking "do they mean 1940's receipt?". I thought currency was in its current form at this point with maybe the old pound coin and bigger 50 and ten pence coins. That's what I remember from my childhood, but I guess the change happened when I was very young.' Others noted that the total bill came to a considerable amount of money when converted to reflect how much it would be worth now. One said: '£41 in today's money is around £205.' Another was curious about the purchases made, which are not identified on the receipt. They wrote: 'Ahh right. Would be even better if we could see what they actually bought to confirm value but that's no small amount of cash. Thank you.' 'There are some pretty expensive things on there. I'm guessing that they are meat. I can't think of anything else that would be over £5 in a supermarket. It's not as if they sold clothes or household appliances then,' one mused. Other suggested the more expensive items could be alcohol. 'Bottles of spirits would have been 5 or 6 quid,' one commenter suggested.
The Independent
5 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Rare royal ring bought for £15 in charity shop could be worth huge sum
A rare mourning ring commissioned by George IV to commemorate his sister, Princess Amelia, is set to be auctioned after being purchased for just £15 at a charity shop in Leicester. The ring, dating back to the early 19th century, was brought to auctioneer Charles Hanson by a client who was unaware of its historical significance. Mr Hanson described the find as the most important he had encountered from a charity shop in a decade. The piece is now expected to fetch between £3,000 and £5,000 at auction. 'I was stunned and dazzled,' Mr Hanson said. 'This find proves treasures still lie hidden on our high streets. From a simple box emerged a piece of deeply personal royal history, commissioned by the royal family itself to honour a lost loved one. 'It's not just the monetary value, it's the emotion, history and humanity behind this ring that truly moves you.' Princess Amelia died in 1810 from tuberculosis. The ring was commissioned that same year and crafted by the royal goldsmiths Rundell, Bridge & Rundell. On her deathbed, Amelia is said to have pressed a ring containing a lock of her hair into her father George III's hand, whispering 'remember me'. Those final words were immortalised in the ring's design, with the phrase inscribed beneath the image of a crown. Her father later lost his sanity, an event which became the subject of countless literary and cultural depictions of the 'Mad King George'. The ring is one of only 52 made, which would have been distributed among family and close friends after Amelia's funeral at Windsor. 'The white enamel used in the ring denotes that Amelia was unmarried at the time of her death,' Mr Hanson said. 'White enamel symbolised purity and innocence in mourning jewellery, particularly for those who died young or unmarried. It contrasts with the more commonly used black enamel, which signified general mourning.'
The Independent
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
200-year-old ring made for royal family discovered in charity shop
A rare mourning ring commissioned by George IV to commemorate his sister, Princess Amelia, is set to be auctioned after being purchased for just £15 at a charity shop in Leicester. The ring, dating back to the early 19th century, was brought to auctioneer Charles Hanson by a client who was unaware of its historical significance. Mr Hanson described the find as the most important he had encountered from a charity shop in a decade. The piece is now expected to fetch between £3,000 and £5,000 at auction. 'I was stunned and dazzled,' Mr Hanson said. 'This find proves treasures still lie hidden on our high streets. From a simple box emerged a piece of deeply personal royal history, commissioned by the royal family itself to honour a lost loved one. 'It's not just the monetary value, it's the emotion, history and humanity behind this ring that truly moves you.' Princess Amelia died in 1810 from tuberculosis. The ring was commissioned that same year and crafted by the royal goldsmiths Rundell, Bridge & Rundell. On her deathbed, Amelia is said to have pressed a ring containing a lock of her hair into her father George III's hand, whispering 'remember me'. Those final words were immortalised in the ring's design, with the phrase inscribed beneath the image of a crown. Her father later lost his sanity, an event which became the subject of countless literary and cultural depictions of the 'Mad King George'. The ring is one of only 52 made, which would have been distributed among family and close friends after Amelia's funeral at Windsor. 'The white enamel used in the ring denotes that Amelia was unmarried at the time of her death,' Mr Hanson said. 'White enamel symbolised purity and innocence in mourning jewellery, particularly for those who died young or unmarried. It contrasts with the more commonly used black enamel, which signified general mourning.'
The Sun
6 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
I've made £269 on Vinted in 24 hours – the 7 items that are flipping FAST & the retro product to always pick up
A RESELLING whizz who made £269 on Vinted in just 24 hours has shared seven of the items that are selling fast right now. The mum is a pro at finding bits to resell at the charity shop and car boot sales, and took to TikTok to share some of the items she's "flipped" in recent days. 6 6 The first thing she recommended looking out for is shorts - both men's and women's - as she's made a decent profit on the ones she's sold. She got a pair of Saltrock women's shorts for 50p, and made £5.45 selling them on, a pair of Animal women's board shorts she got on Vinted for £2 sold for a whopping £32.96, and a pair of Fat Face shorts she got for £2 sold for £9.95. She also picked up two other pairs of men's shorts, for both of which she paid £1.50 each and made £13.45 profit. Summer dresses are popular as the weather warms up, and a Saltrock one she got for 50p at the car boot nabbed her a profit of £9.45. While a Seasalt Cornwall £1 dress sold for £17.95. One of the biggest profit-makers for the mum were the vintage cameras she'd picked up, as she said they "sell very well on Vinted". A Miranda one she got for 50p sold for £9.95, a £2 vintage camera sold for £29.95, a Canon PowerShot she paid £1 for at the car boot sold for £34.95 and a vintage Mekai camera she paid 50p for sold for £14.95. Timeless T-shirts are as popular as ever, with a £1 Mason Newman one selling for £12.95 and a vintage Nike one she got in a reseller bundle from a wholesaler for £2.50 got her a profit of £27.45. Meanwhile, a £1 linen playsuit sold for £10.95, and a £1 denim Zara jumpsuit nabbed her a profit of £18.95. Lastly, the savvy reseller made £13.95 selling on a Craghoppers fleece, and made £4.15 profit per sale of debobbling machines - after paying £4 for 50 of them herself. I made £550 in 48 hours reselling clothes but NOT on Vinted - I found a platform where sellers get the full asking price - She concluded her video by showing that she'd spent £20.03, and emerged with a total profit of £269.85. "Wow I'm massively under pricing my stuff. I have hundreds to sell!" one person commented on the TikTok video. With the mum advising: "Use eBay to research sold prices to help you as a guide". "That's a bangin' profit!" another praised. What is retail arbitrage and how does it work? Retail arbitrage just means reselling a product on for profit. It is completely legal in the UK, as, once you own an item, you have the right to resell it. Using an app called BuyBotGo, resellers scan items they find in the supermarket, and the app tells them how much the products are selling for on Amazon, and how many times they have been sold in the past month. The reseller will make a profit on the items by reselling them using Amazon FBA. Amazon FBA is a service that online sellers can use, where Amazon takes care of the storing, packing and shipping of your products. So all the reseller has to do is send the products off to Amazon and wait for the money to roll in. 6
