As I walked into Charity Super.Mkt’s latest store in Westfield White City passing Gucci , Burberry , Jimmy Choo, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Mulberry, Savlatore Ferragamo, Versace, Tiffany and Co and then on past Ted Baker, COS, Zara, H&M and Victoria’s Secret it  became abundantly clear that Charity Super.Mkt really has delivered, in short order, our stated aim to “make charity retail mainstream by getting into the spaces and places charities could otherwise not reach.”

With 65% of the Uk population now wearing something second hand and 80% of those purchases made through charity retailers there is still a significant percentage of consumers who feel that “shopping charity and secondhand” is a sign of low status rather than a badge of something great, thoughtful and purposeful. Whilst that percentage is in the minority as new generations learn about the climate crisis as part of their education there is still a lot of work to do to totally normalise shopping charity retail and make it something that EVERY single person considers as normal as popping into Tesco. 

So how do we take a step from the 60 plus percent who say they wear something secondhand to 100 percent acceptance?

Firstly, we aim to do this by continuing to open more Charity Super.Mkt’s across the UK in places where the public haven’t come across charity stores before and having them next to designer and popular high street brands . 

Secondly, we also have to continue to get media coverage and market the brand and charity retail so that it ceases to be considered quirky by the media. For instance, why are breakfast TV presenters seemingly always styled in new fashion and stories about wearing second hand presented as a  lighthearted oddity? After all, the concept of buying second hand clothes and charity fashion is hardly new!

Thirdly we have to be smart and innovative  when it comes to putting charity retail’s best foot forward . The design of the Charity Super.Mkt stores must continue to evolve and work out ways to  compete with the multi million pound store fit outs  the large scale  Zara’s and the like. We have to do this by using and up-cycling old shop fittings in an artistic way and by creating window displays that delight and tell the story in innovative, creative and thoughtful ways.

Fourthly, the brand and marketing collateral , the photography and films must also aim to compete with the multi million pound budgets of our competitors (and yes they must be considered competitors in the same way that Next and M&S would consider each other as  competitors)  in the prime retail shopping locations that Charity Super.Mkt is now frequenting . We can do this by working with designers , photographers and filmmakers who are at the top of their game and in demand from the big retail brands.

Then there is the in store experience; the quality of the product (we must try and avoid consumers saying “tat”), the speed that it “churns” (every 6 weeks is becoming the norm in the fashion industry), the hangers not looking too random (not easy with up to  ten charities in one Charity Super.Mkt store), the rails being tidy, the music being carefully curated and thought out and doing all this in what may only be a 6 week pop up store !

Finally perhaps most importantly it’s using the collective power and purpose of the cohort of charities that retail with Charity Super.Mkt to come together put their collective best feet forward and make it clear to the public that the causes they are raising awareness and money for are relevant to all our lives and part of a society that is kind and helpful to each other and the planet that we live on.

Find Charity Super.Mkt in Westfield…