Pre-loved initiative Charity Super.Mkt, alongside charity retail partners that include Shelter, Havens Hospices, Cancer Research and Oxfam, announced today that it has turned over £3 million in sales since its founding in January 2023.
Having launched its latest pop-up in London’s Spitalfields Market on 28 November, the multi-charity shop has announced further plans for permanent locations in Canary Wharf, Edinburgh and Leeds in the New Year.
The pre-loved initiative has launched pop-ups in 12 major cities since its inception, including Manchester, Glasgow, Bristol and London, and has partnered with 55 different local and national charities in the UK.
Charity Super.Mkt has so far prevented 105,109 kg of textile waste from going to landfill, saving an estimated 168,174 cubic metres of water, reinforcing the importance of a sustainably-minded fashion industry and reducing the environmental impacts of clothing waste.
The Spitalfields pop-up will be open until the end of January 2025.
Maria Chenoweth, co-founder and CEO of Charity Super.Mkt, said: “Charity Super.Mkt has worked with over 55 local and national charities, bringing new audiences and demographics to charity retail, from London’s Bond Street to Glasgow, Bristol to Brent Cross. Hitting the £3 million income milestone is the icing on the cake, but our work doesn’t stop there – our mission remains pushing charity retail into the spaces and places it would otherwise not access, raising funds for their vital work both here in the UK and globally.”
Wayne Hemingway MBE, co-founder of Charity Super.Mkt, and partner at Hemingway Design, added: “When we first set out on this mission, we had no idea whether it would work. We cobbled together a name, a visual identity, repurposed a pile of shop fittings, and assembled eight retail charities together for a four-week experiment in a former Topshop store in Brent Cross.
“Within those four weeks, we showed how charity fashion deserves to be part of a modern retail offer, alongside the heavily-funded fast fashion brands with their marketing clout and retail infrastructure. Now more than ever, fashion is evolving particularly amongst young people who are more conscious of making sustainable choices and seeking out good quality, pre-loved clothing, and turning it into re-loved fashion.
“We are thrilled to have reached our £3 million charity milestone. It is a credit to the charities who have participated, the people who have shopped with us, and to the landlords of our spaces who have been so generous. What’s more, we are now getting enquiries from overseas and from international brands who can see the value in supporting Charity Super.Mkt and the partner charities to deliver even more social and environmental value. What started as a 4-week experiment may now be on its way to creating a new, purposeful, sustainably-focused business model.”
