Charity Super.Mkt is returning to London’s iconic retail and leisure destination, Brent Cross - to celebrate its one year anniversary - with two new concept stores set to flood the Instagram feeds of every fashionista.
Brent Cross is jointly owned by abrdn and Hammerson.
‘Charity Super.Mkt Presents The Edit’ is a bold and brand-new concept store featuring a collection of curated second-hand clothing and accessories selected by local and national British charities. Customers will be able to purchase dresses, shirts and bags from fashion houses including Burberry and Vivienne Westwood at affordable prices and in a sustainable way.
In another market-first, Charity Super.Mkt will also launch a separate event-based store, with a rotating weekly theme and DJs. Customers will need to be strategic in their purchasing, as the first theme is ‘Countdown’, a unique concept whereby all items will be priced at £5 on Thursday, dropping by £1 each day until all items are only £2 on Sunday. The ‘Charity Super.Mkt Presents concept store’ will open Thursdays to Sundays from 11th April, with new themes revealed week-by-week.
Department store for second-hand style
Founded by industry heavyweights Maria Chenoweth (CEO of TRAID) and Wayne Hemingway (Co- founder of HemingwayDesign and Red or Dead), Charity Super.Mkt reinvented second hand shopping when it launched at Brent Cross in 2023. For the first time ever, UK charities were brought together under one roof to raise money for good causes. In 12 months, the concept - which has toured the UK and launched at two additional Hammerson’s destinations - has now raised almost £2m, a threshold expected to be reached at Brent Cross.
The arrival and incubation of Charity Super.Mkt, underpins a wider strategy from Hammerson, to enhance its assets by introducing new brands, concepts and market-firsts, in turn driving footfall and customer engagement. Following its success at Brent Cross, Charity Super.Mkt launched at two additional Hammerson assets, The Oracle in Reading home to 23k eco-conscious students and Cabot Circus, located in the heart of the UK’s third greenest city, Bristol. Both pop-ups were extended due to their resounding success. Through pop-ups at Hammerson’s destinations:
- £950k has been raised for charity
- 208k pre loved items sold
- 31 tonnes saved from landfill
Footfall and sales success
Charity Super.Mkt’s return to its original home of Brent Cross is not without merit. During its original run in 2023, over 40,000 second-hand items were sold in just 41 days of trading, with 26,000 customers flocking to snap up pre-loved items from household names including Zara, Ralph Lauren and Vesarce. At Brent Cross:
- Footfall rose 7% on opening weekend vs previous weekend
- Projected turnover for the whole month was achieved in only 4 days
- 11.4 tonnes of clothing and shoes saved from landfill, saving 102 tonnes of Co2 and 18,000 cubic metres of water
- 755 transactions on busiest trading day, equating to over £20,000 (raised for charity)
Wayne Hemingway said: “When we opened our first Charity Super.Mkt in Brent Cross in early 2023 we had a hunch that the public were ready for a multi charity store that had great secondhand fashion, in a vibrant environment, all set to a fab soundtrack. We were right, and we soon realised we had created one of the UK’s hottest retail brands. The team are full of ideas and we are excited to be testing new concepts Charity Super.Mkt The Edit and Charity Super.Mkt Presents at Brent Cross.”
Maria Chenoweth, CEO of TRAID, commented: “Charity Super.Mkt is on a mission to make charity retail mainstream and increase its appeal, the knock on effect of shopping all things charity is clearly amazing, in our first year of trading we worked with over 50 charities and raised just under £2 million, the social and environmental impact of this work is far reaching for all of us as a society.”
Sarah Tinsley, Director of Marketing & Placemaking at Hammerson said: “The continued success of Charity Super.Mkt demonstrates that with the right landlord support, new brands with a strong USP, can really thrive in the marketplace. Retail is evolving with a stronger focus on purpose and our vision for Brent Cross, and all our assets, is to create vibrant multi-use destinations that have a significant social impact in the cities in which we operate.”
Charity Super.Mkt Presents The Edit will open for 12 weeks Monday to Sunday from 11th April.
Charity Super.Mkt Presents will open every Thursday through Sunday, with a different secondhand concept for 12 weeks from 11th April.
ENDS