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When is a charity shop not a charity shop?

When is a charity shop not a charity shop

When it’s a #charity superstore! In years gone by Charity shops on a High St were seen as a sign of decline. But things have changed. Where once they were places for pensioners, now you’re more likely to find #GenZ hunting for unique #fashion bargains.

Why is this generation suddenly so obsessed with vintage clothes? There’s been a shift in attitudes to clothing over the last decade. A reaction against the negative aspects of consumerism including fast-fashion & an increased awareness of sustainability.

There’s also been a shift in the language defining 2nd-hand goods, with terms like ‘used’ becoming ‘pre-loved’ & ‘second-hand’ becoming ‘vintage’ making this change in behaviour even more appealing & acceptable.

Charities have been slower to respond at scale but savvy businesses have jumped on the trend for vintage stores, kilo sales, & online second-hand websites such as Depop or Vinted. The Next Cartel Magazine say ‘Thrifting clothes is normal now and shows that this generation perceives buying & wearing clothes that are already used as normal. This popularity and hunt for unique vintage clothing has even become a billion-dollar industry, changing the fashion industry & turning it on its head. A lot of Gen Zers have even involved themselves in the resale business selling their old clothes online.’

This shift has transformed thrifting into a viable, $28 billion industry expected to eclipse fast fashion by 2029, according to thredUP, an online consignment store. 2nd-hand shopping is no longer just a local, community-driven hobby, opportunities are vast, particularly amongst GenZ who are 40% of global consumers.

Last week a superstore with a completely new approach for charities opened in #BrentCrossCharity Super.Mkt. is the brainchild of Wayne Hemingway MBE, Founder of Red or Dead, & Maria Chenoweth, CEO of TRAID.

It’s the UK's first retail space hosting multiple charities together, taking charity fashion to another level. “This curated collection of fashion & accessories offers a brand-new destination to shop with purpose, built on social & environmental good, & a place where customers can shop the best of charity retail all in one place.” Charities include: TRAIDHavens HospicesBarnardo'sShelter UKCancer Research UK (CRUK)Age UKMarie Curie UKEmmaus, SCT and All Aboard.

In a BBC article Chenoweth said this was a result of 2nd-hand fashion being "hijacked" by bigger companies to appeal to socially conscious shoppers & argued that stereotypes about charity shops needed to change. "It's not a place of musty old clothes anymore, it's just a place of normality." Hemingway said a key motivation was to combat the "old-fashioned attitude" that High St charity shops were a "sign of decline".

After taking my kids to numerous charity shops & watched non-charity businesses cashing in on kilo sales & innovative apps I agree. We Are Acuity's new Charity podcast focusses on the challenges of distributed charities. 

If you work in the charity sector as a Marketing Executive, Marketing Manager, or Marketing Director and would like to hear how you can level-up the playing field, our second Talking Local Marketing Podcast, on the #charity sector is now available. In fact, even if you work in another part of the charity business, or another sector these challenges are all too common. Here's the links to listen. Let us know what you think?

Spotify
Click Here.

Apple Music
Click Here.

Your local partners, whether branches, retailers, dealers, franchisees, or affiliates they need your support and you need theirs, get in touch with We Are Acuity today for a FREE marketing audit by clicking HERE.

Or if you'd like to read more about Local Marketing have a look at our blog page "Local Thinking': https://www.weareacuity.com/local-thinking-our-blog


#marketing #podcast

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