Still serving the community? The professionalisation of the UK charity retail sector
International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management
ISSN: 0959-0552
Article publication date: 1 August 2003
Abstract
The charity retail format has experienced significant growth over the last 30 years to a situation where charity shops have now become a taken for granted feature of local high streets across the UK. Traditionally charity shops have played an important service role in their local communities by providing low cost goods and employing voluntary staff. However, alongside the growth of the sector, charities have become increasingly professional in their approach to managing their shops. Changes include the introduction of paid managers and shop assistants and an overall ’‘trading up” of the charity retail environment. This paper explores in detail this professionalisation of the charity retail sector. It then examines the impact of this professionalisation on the role of charity shops in their local communities and speculate on the likely future for charity retail in this context.
Keywords
Citation
Broadbridge, A. and Parsons, L. (2003), "Still serving the community? The professionalisation of the UK charity retail sector", International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Vol. 31 No. 8, pp. 418-427. https://doi.org/10.1108/09590550310484098
Publisher
:MCB UP Ltd
Copyright © 2003, MCB UP Limited