Charity Super.Mkt, the ‘department store for second-hand style’ launched earlier this year by Maria Chenoweth and Wayne Hemingway, will open at Bluewater this week.
Bluewater, one of Europe’s leading shopping and leisure destinations, will join Edinburgh and Bristol as new stores for the brand which has previously opened successful pop-ups in London, Glasgow and Reading.
The opening at Bluewater responds to the growing popularity of pre-loved shopping and will create a unique retail experience for guests looking for quality, affordable products.
The Charity Super.Mkt concept has proved hugely popular with shoppers thanks to its curated collections of second-hand fashion. To date, 101,659 items of clothing have been snapped up, generating sales of more than £1m for charities and creating a much-needed additional income stream for charities including Shelter, Cancer Research, Age UK and TRAID.
James Waugh, Centre Director at Bluewater, said: “We know that pre-loved fashion is something our guests are asking for more and more – we hosted our first second-hand clothing pop-up this summer so to be able to open a charity-focused store on a much bigger scale, really is great news.
“The trend for pre-loved fashion is growing year-on-year and we’re committed to evolving our offer, so we stay relevant for our guests.
“This is a huge win-win for Bluewater guests as we welcome a fantastic brand, selling stylish, hand-picked garments whilst benefitting a range of UK charities.
“Charity Super.Mkt is a proven concept which has been exciting shoppers across the UK and their ethos aligns with our continued commitment to becoming a more sustainable retail destination, so we’re delighted to welcome them here as they embark on a national expansion programme.”
Wayne Hemingway, Charity Super.Mkt Co-founder, said: “It is a mere 7 months since we started on this journey to attempt to demonstrate that charity secondhand fashion could and should be part of a modern retail mix in the busiest of shopping centres. Charity Super.Mkt is proving that and more.
“Not only is the concept exciting customers, allowing them to do their bit for society, the environment and their own pockets, it is creating uplifts in footfall and most importantly providing much needed income for charities.”
TRAID CEO and Co-founder Maria Chenoweth, commented: “My career and ambition has always been to promote second-hand fashion as the most impactful way to dress ourselves. The creation of Charity Super.Mkt has brought charity retailers into mainstream retail, gaining locations that would have otherwise been inaccessible.
“Charity Super.Mkt gives charities the opportunity to raise more funds, and that means more nursing time in hospices, more support for animals, more research into cancer and in TRAID’s case, more support for the people who make our clothes. We’re really excited to be taking for the first time Charity Super.Mkt and charity retail into Bluewater the UK’s second largest shopping centre.”
Data from the Charity Retail Association showed that second-hand shopping is booming in 2023 with sales increasing 15 per cent year-on-year between January and March.
Bluewater is constantly evolving its guest experience and retail offer – this summer has already seen the opening of the world’s first Sidemen clothing store at the centre, an enhanced Uniqlo shop, a new Dyson Demo store, meanwhile, Hangloose Adventure Bluewater opened ‘Skytrek’, a 350-metre high ropes experience.
Charity Super.Mkt will open at Bluewater on 28th September, it will be located on the Lower Rose Gallery.
