A new charity pop-up store will be opening at the Westgate Centre in Oxford this month.
Charity Super.Mkt, launched earlier this year by Maria Chenoweth and Wayne Hemingway, will be located on the Lower Mall next to & Other Stories.
This new store will join Shepherd’s Bush and Greater Manchester as new locations for the brand, which has previously opened pop-ups in London, Kent, Glasgow and Reading.
The opening at the shopping centre responds to the growing popularity of 'pre-loved' shopping.
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The Charity Super.Mkt concept has proved popular with shoppers thanks to its curated collections of second-hand fashion.
To date, 151,113 items of clothing have been snapped up, generating sales of more than £1.2m for charities and creating a much-needed additional income stream for charities including Shelter, Cancer Research, Age UK and TRAID.
Brendan Hattam, centre director at Westgate Oxford, said: “We know that pre-loved fashion is something our guests are asking for more and more – we hosted multiple second-hand clothing pop-ups 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 Westgate Oxford 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.”
“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 every pound spent is a ‘good pound’, so customers are providing much needed income for a range of brilliant causes.”
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TRAID chief executive and co-founder, Maria Chenoweth, added: “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.
"We’re really excited to be taking Charity Super.Mkt into the heart of Oxford for the first time.”
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.
The arrival of Charity Super.Mkt coincides with the launch of a brand new, alternative Christmas experience at the centre, ‘WasteLess Wonderland’, which is being designed and curated by HemingwayDesign.
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It will launch on Friday and run until December 23.
The pop-up store will be open for the same period.
TRAID has previously operated a pop-up fashion store at the Westgate Centre.
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Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here.
He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.
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