Charity Super.Mkt tops £1mn raised for charities
Melanie May | 28 September 2023 | News
To date, Charity Super.Mkt, which brings charities together in pop-up store to sell pre-loved clothing and accessories, has sold 101,659 items of clothing and raised over £1mn. Its latest store is in Kent’s Bluewater, opening today (28 September).
Charity Super.Mkt was launched earlier this year by Maria Chenoweth and Wayne Hemingway. The first store opened in London’s Brent Cross before moving to Reading, and pop ups have since opened in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Bristol. Charity participants have included Shelter, Cancer Research UK, Age UK and TRAID.
The Bluewater opening is part of a national expansion. Charities taking part in this latest pop up include Age UK, Cancer Research UK, Deafblind UK, Demelza, Ellenor, Havens Hospices, Marie Curie, Pilgrims Hospices, Shelter and TRAID.
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Anna Hill, Chief Consumer Officer at Landsec, which owns and manages Bluewater, said:
“We know that people want to make sustainable choices without compromising on how they
look and feel. With the introduction of Charity Super.Mkt Bluewater guests will be able to shop
stylish, hand-picked fashion whilst benefitting a range of UK charities.
“Charity Super.Mkt’s unique concept has been exciting shoppers across the UK since it first opened
last year and we’re certain that their collection of high quality, one off pieces will bring something
truly unique to Bluewater.”
Wayne Hemingway, Charity Super.Mkt Co-founder, said:
“It is a mere 7 months since we started on this journey to attempt to demonstrate that charity secondhand fashion could and should be part of a modern retail mix in the busiest of shopping centres. Charity Super.Mkt is proving that and more.
“Not only is the concept exciting customers, allowing them to do their bit for society, the
environment and their own pockets, it is creating uplifts in footfall and most importantly providing
much needed income for charities.”
Impact so far
According to Charity Super.Mkt’s figures, by selling 101,659 items in the last six months, it has stopped 29,045kg of clothing going to landfill, prevented 261,409kg of CO2 emissions, and saved 46,473 cubic metres of water.
The income raised by the charities taking part has:
- Funded almost 3,000 hours of nursing care or over 2,600 hours of bereavement support calls from Marie Curie
- Paid for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to gain part time supported employment in one of Brandon Trust social enterprises and learn valuable vocational and life skills
- Funded a Shelter emergency helpline for 15 days, answering around 1,700 urgent calls
- Enabled Cancer Research UK to fund 192 more days of Cancer Nurses
- Funded 1,280 hours of specialist care for Havens Hospices nurses for a patient in their own home at the end of their life
- TRAID used its proceeds to support a new project providing schooling for the children of waste pickers at Dhaka’s Matuail landfill site
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.