# British Red Cross to invest £12 million in its charity shops

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2008/07/01/british-red-cross-invest-12-million-its-charity-shops/
- Published: 2008-07-01T13:52:05+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**The British Red Cross is to spend £12 million over the next five years to improve
its charity shops. It plans to open 20 new shops in commercially viable areas each
year until 2012, refit 140 existing shops, and close about 70 of the least profitable
shops.**

Sue Azzopardi, [British Red Cross](http://www.redcross.org.uk) Head of Trading, 
said that the investment is intended to double its charity shops’ profits to £8 
million by 2012. “We are right at the beginning stage of implementing the retail
investment plan”, she said, “but are already starting to see the benefits – British
Red Cross shops are making more sales overall and selling a wider variety of goods”.

The charity reports that shops undergoing minor refits have already seen an average
profit rise of 15%, and shops undergoing major refits have achieved a 17.5% increase
in profit.

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The British Red Cross Trading Department currently generates an income of £23 million
and profit of £4 million. It employs over 600 staff and engages over 6,000 volunteers.
This makes it responsible for approximately 11% of total British Red Cross fundraising.

As part of the investment the charity will also be introducing electronic tills,
networked via the web, into all shops. This should streamline the management of 
information in shops and give a greater commercial focus.

There will also be a renewed campaign to recruit Red Cross volunteers, both to Red
Cross shops and into a variety of service delivery roles across the charity.

![Briish Red Cross jeans label. Photo: British Red Cross](https://wfay6x.infiniteuploads.
cloud/2026/09/british-red-cross-shops-jeans-label.jpg)

The charity has today introduced a new salary structure for all shop staff consisting
of a base salary and additional earnings related to the income of their shop. The
charity says that this brings its shops into line with current practice across charity
and mainstream retail sectors.

Funds are predominately generated by goods donated and sold through British Red 
Cross charity shops, with additional funding coming from greeting cards, independent
living products (ILP) and bought-in goods (BIG).

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