Arthritis Research UK plans to close its retail operation by the end of the year after deciding it was not financially sustainable.
The charity currently has 10 shops, all of which it intends to close by the end of December, while it will continue to sell some Christmas gifts and cards online.
Speaking to Civil Society News, director of fundraising Charlotte Guiver said the decision to close the charity’s retail function was made after a “big review” in 2014.
"It was not a decision we took lightly," she said. "We have been in the shops business for a number of years. It had been a challenging number of years for us where return on investment was not sustainable.
"I think the high street has changed. We tried a number of models over the years but it is hard."
Guiver said as part of the process to close the charity’s shops, a consultation process with staff had been undertaken, although she would not say whether anybody had been made redundant.
According the Arthritis Research UK’s response to the Charity Shops Survey 2017, it had 33.2 full-time equivalent staff employed in its retail operation in the year up to April 2017.
Its retail arm made an estimated deficit of a £39,455 in 2016/17, closing three shops. The previous year its retail operation made a profit of £78,928 and closed eight shops.
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