Oxfam has announced plans to open up to 10 new superstores over the next five years across the UK and is set to launch its second such store in Manchester this week.
The charity opened its first superstore near its headquarters in Oxford in 2019 and will open a second this Friday 19 July in Manchester Fort Shopping Park, Cheetham Hill.
A spokesperson for Oxfam told Civil Society that its first superstore “has been a huge success”, raising over £180,000 in 2023-24 to help fund its work to tackle poverty and injustice.
“The average shopper spends four times the amount at the Oxford superstore, compared to our Oxfam shops,” they said.
Its new 10,000 sq ft superstore in Manchester will include two floors of pre-owned clothing, accessories, books, homewares and music and a café housed in an Oxfam water tank.
The charity said the store, which will be open seven days a week, will create 15 paid jobs as well as 150 volunteering opportunities.
It is currently scouting for potential locations for the new superstores and hopes to announce the location of the next one by the end of the year.
Store to ‘act as a social hub’
Lorna Fallon, Oxfam’s retail trading director, said: “We’re thrilled to be opening Oxfam’s second-ever superstore and couldn’t have picked a better location than Manchester.
“The store not only has an incredible treasure trove of pre-loved clothing, books, music and more – but we hope it will act as a social hub at the heart of the community for everyone to use and enjoy.
“The superstore also marks an exciting step in our plans to open more new superstores across the nation which will help raise even more money for our life-saving work around the globe.”
During the grand opening of the new store, the charity will run a raffle to win the FA Cup-winning Manchester United t-shirt signed by the first-team squad.
When the charity opened its first superstore in Oxford, it said it hoped it would raise nine times more funds than its average shops.
