‘City is dying’ as high street charity chain with 170 locations abruptly closes branch over Christmas
A HIGH street charity chain has just shuttered another one of its stores for the last time.
The Scope charity shop in Anglia Square, Norwich, was forced to close on December 23 – yet another store that has fallen victim to the cost of living crisis.
The store had become one of the city’s staples since it partnered with Asos to sell clothes that had been used for fashion shoots.
It had also started to sell a large selection of wedding dresses, covering a variety of sizes and prices, so that every bride could feel special on her big day.
But a spokesperson for the charity chain said that rising costs coupled with fewer shoppers on the high street led to this difficult decision.
Debbie Boylen, head of retail at Scope, said: “We were very sad to close our charity shop in Anglia Square, we’ve had such incredible support from this wonderful and generous community.
“It’s always a very hard decision to close one of our shops, not one we take lightly and recognise the impact it has on our store teams, volunteers and our customers.
“The cost of living crisis, coupled with the pandemic, has placed enormous pressure on stores trading on high streets across the UK, with significant and lengthy closure periods.
“In certain locations around the country, our stores no longer remain viable to trade, but we always hope we can relocate to another part of the town or nearby if the opportunity presents itself.
“If people would like to support Scope, our nearest charity shops are in Great Yarmouth, Newmarket and Ely. Or you can visit Scope on eBay or Scope’s online shop.”
Some locals took to the Norwich Evening News Facebook page to express their dismay at the news.
Mick Betts wrote: “Makes you wonder how bad things are when charity shops with favourable rates are forced to close!”
While Raya-mhari Iglesias Beattie added: “…such a shame….”
It comes just weeks after the charity chain had to close its branch on Northbrook Street in Newbury.
The charity shop chain used to have over 200 stores across England and Wales but now just 190 are listed on its website.
The retailer has said the cost of living crisis coupled with the pandemic has put huge pressure on its trading.