This year's survey of charity retailers shows a sector adapting to a changing landscape. The previous survey’s two big surprises were that shop numbers had declined for the first time in 15 years but profits had increased for the first time in three years. This year, both of these trends have continued, suggesting that charities are being more selective about the stores they are opening and that this strategy is paying off.

The Charity Shops Survey 2019, published for the 28th year by Charity Finance in association with Fundraising Magazine, shows a net reduction in the number of stores in the UK for the second year running, with respondents ending 2018-19 with 14 fewer overall than at the start of the year. Some charities are still opening stores but none of those that responded to the survey, including almost all the major retailers, made double-figure net openings in the year.