London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Jun 30, 2026

Brent Cross: Charity department store opens in 'UK first'

Brent Cross: Charity department store opens in 'UK first'

What is billed as the UK's first multi-charity store has opened to shoppers.

Charity Super.Mkt at Brent Cross Shopping Centre sells donated clothing supplied by 10 UK charities, including Barnardo's and Cancer Research.

It comes as second-hand fashion is gaining in popularity amid the rising cost of living and a higher demand for sustainable shopping.

The pop-up store, which is staffed by volunteers, will be open for a month at the north London shopping centre.

Other charities contributing clothes include Age UK, All Aboard, Emmaus, Havens Hospice, SCT, Marie Curie, TRAID and Shelter.

The department store is the brainchild of Wayne Hemingway, founder of the Red or Dead fashion brand, and Maria Chenoweth, the CEO of TRAID (Textile Reuse and International Development).


Wayne Hemingway and Maria Chenoweth hope Charity Super.Mkt will help to change the way people think about second-hand fashion

Ms Chenoweth said they were inspired to organise the project because charity retailers "weren't getting the recognition they deserved".

She said this was a result of second-hand fashion being "hijacked" by bigger companies to appeal to socially conscious shoppers.

Mr Hemingway said that another key motivation for opening the pop-up store was to combat the "old-fashioned attitude" that High Street charity shops were a "sign of decline".

"When you look at the demographic of people who are shopping in charity shops, it's the people who are leading the way in thinking," he said, adding that 65% of people across the UK wear second-hand clothes at least once a week.

Charity Super.Mkt sells second-hand clothes from charities such as Emmaus and TRAID


Ms Chenoweth also argued that stereotypes about charity shops needed to change.

"It's not a place of musty old clothes any more, it's just a place of normality," she said, adding that post-pandemic, some charity brands had seen a 20% increase in sales.

Mr Hemingway said this rise in popularity was partly down to young people looking to "supplement their income", after seeing lots of them buying items in Charity Super.Mkt in order to resell them online.

He said that charity shops provided a useful "side-hustle" for "entrepreneurial" young Londoners, who "won't be able to afford a house until they're probably in the 40s, if at all".

Charity clothes sales rose by 20% after the pandemic


He said it was a "win-win" situation for young people trying to pay the rent and the charities they were buying from.

Ms Chenoweth argued that the increase in demand for second-hand fashion was not just down to the rising cost of living, but was "mainly driven" by shoppers' concerns about sustainability.

Isaac, 24, and Lauren, 22, said that this was their main incentive for visiting charity shops.

Isaac and Lauren said they enjoy shopping more when their money is going to charity


Lauren said that buying second-hand clothes "feels better", because "you get great quality and you're giving to charity at the same time".

Isaac agreed, adding that it "keeps clothes in use for longer and "the money's going to a good place".

Anita said Charity Super.Mkt stood out from the charity shops she had visited before


Anita said that she was drawn to the pop-up store while shopping in Brent Cross because it looked different from the typical High Street charity shop.

"It's nice and clean and tidy," she said, adding that her daughter was a keen charity shopper: "My daughter's in uni, she always goes to charity shops,

"I thought: 'I have to tell her about this!'"

Fabia's outfit is completely second hand


Fabia, from Brighton, has long been a fan of second-hand fashion, and proudly mentioned that her outfit was completely made up of clothes from charity shops.

She said that she enjoyed going to charity shops because "there's more choice".

"It's individual and different, you can find things in charity shops that you can't find in High Street stores," she added, saying she wants a store similar to Charity Super.Mkt to open in Brighton.

The founders want to take Charity Super.Mkt "on tour"


After learning that the pop-up store was previously a Topshop, Fabia said: "When big stores close down in shopping malls like this, it leaves a big gap," adding that it would be "wonderful" if disused shop spaces across the country were used in a similar way.

The founders of Charity Super.Mkt share her hopes, and told the BBC they planned to take Charity Super.Mkt on tour, visiting cities across the UK.

Mr Hemingway said his "dream" was for the store to become like "the fair coming to town", saying that he wanted it to be an "exciting" experience for shoppers.

Charity Super.Mkt will be open until 27 February.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Crime and Policing Act 2026 Comes into Force with New Justice System Reforms
UK Prime Minister Hosts NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte for Security Talks at Downing Street
UK Tightens Oversight of Emissions Trading Scheme Through New Ministerial Directions
UK Issues Statement at UN Security Council on Violence in the West Bank
UK Environment Agency Clears Illegal Waste Site in West Yorkshire After Court Action
UK Resident Sentenced for Fraudulently Claiming £30,000 in Covid Business Loans
UK Launches Taskforce to Help Young People Claim Dormant Child Trust Fund Savings
UK Gambling Commission Fines Betfred Operator Petfre Gibraltar £900,000 Over Social Responsibility Failures
UK Appoints Lord Collins as Global Envoy for LGBT+ Rights
UK Expands Detention Capacity to Support Removal of Foreign Criminals and Failed Asylum Seekers
UK Resident Doctors End Strike Action After Accepting Government Pay Deal
UK Tightens Sentencing for Domestic Killings with 25-Year Starting Point for Murder of Partners
UK to Build at Least Six New Royal Navy Warships Under Expanded Defence Programme
UK Government Unveils £5 Billion Defence Investment Plan Focused on Drones and Autonomous Warfare Systems
UK Economy Records 0.6% First Quarter Growth as Services and Manufacturing Drive Steady Expansion
Welsh Government Unveils New Agricultural Support Plan Focused on Sustainability and Rural Growth
UK Teacher Recruitment Shortfalls Continue in Science and STEM Subjects
Police Scotland Expands Cybercrime Investigations Amid Rising Digital Fraud
UK Universities Warn of Risk to International Student Numbers Amid Visa Changes
UK Defence Ministry Pivots Toward Greater Domestic Military Procurement
UK Launches National Rail Review After Repeated Service Disruptions
Northern Ireland Assembly Debates Long-Term Funding Settlement for Public Services
UK Accelerates Approval of North Sea Offshore Wind Projects to Expand Energy Capacity
UK Retail Sales Fall as Households Cut Discretionary Spending in June
UK Expands Border Intelligence Cooperation with France and Belgium to Target Smuggling Networks
Scottish Government Faces Pressure Over Delays in Major Infrastructure and Transport Projects
UK Launches Multi-Billion-Pound Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure Investment Fund
National Health Service Warns of Continued Emergency Department Strain Across England
Bank of England Signals Interest Rate Hold as Wage Growth Keeps Inflation Elevated
UK Sets Emergency Fiscal Strategy as Inflation Pressures and Weak Manufacturing Growth Persist
UK Launches New Measures to Improve Safety Standards in Night-Time Venues
UK Tightens Import Rules for Low-Value Parcels to Support Domestic Retailers
UK Launches £85 Million Obesity Care Programme Targeting Early Intervention Projects
UK Commits Up to $26 Million to Ebola Response in Democratic Republic of Congo
Security Industry Authority Flags Safety Failures in Night-Time Economy Inspections
Cambridge South Railway Station Opens After £250 Million Investment
UK Moves to Close Import Duty Loophole for Small Parcels by 2028
UK Invests £85 Million in Projects to Transform Obesity Care
Berkeley Group Warns London Housebuilding Falling Far Short of Demand
UK Council Tax Arrears Rise to £9.3 Billion Amid Ongoing Household Financial Strain
Markets Watch Political Transition as Andy Burnham Emerges as Labour Leadership Frontrunner
Extreme Heat Raises Long-Term Risks for UK Inflation and Productivity, Analysts Warn
UK Health Alerts Extended as Record June Heatwave Grips England
UK Parliament Faces High-Stakes Week of Spending, Security and Industrial Legislation
UK Repeals Vagrancy Act Ending Criminalisation of Rough Sleeping in England and Wales
GB News Pundit Charged With Fraud Over Alleged Conduct as Former Labour Adviser
Reform UK Gains Parliamentary Visibility in First Senedd Opposition Appearance
Metropolitan Police Arrest Man on Suspicion of Attempted Murder After London Car Incident
Ocado Chief Executive Tim Steiner Faces Scrutiny Over £100 Million Remuneration Package
British Chambers of Commerce Downgrades UK Growth Outlook to 0.9 Percent for 2026
×