Nearly 400 British Heart Foundation shops will reopen this week as the charity seeks to recover from the devastating impact of the Covid-19 crisis on its income.
It confirmed a phased reopening to ensure it could create a safe working environment for its staff and 17,000 volunteers, many of whom are living with heart and circulatory diseases.
Some 395 shops will open this week, with a further 299 planned the following week.
Mike Taylor, the foundation’s Commercial Director said: “Our charity shops run purely on the support of the public, which is why we treasure every person who shops with us or supports us.
“Every item we sell helps fund our vital research. We have been truly humbled by the response from our colleagues, customers and supporters since opening a handful of shops at the beginning of the month.
“One store received more than 100 bags of donations before lunchtime on the day it opened, double the number we would normally expect in a day.
“We’re now ready to open our shops nationwide, with confidence that they’re safe and ready to raise vital funds for research into heart and circulatory diseases once more.
“The coronavirus crisis has had a devastating impact on our income meaning we are in urgent need of public support and donations to continue our research.”
The Covid-19 pandemic has cost the charity around £10 million a month, and it now anticipates it may have to cut research spending by half this year.
