Scope has proposed closing most of its charity shops after forecasting that its retail operations would make a loss of £1.5m this financial year.
The disability charity last week opened a consultation on proposals to close 77 out of its 138 shops around the UK.
Around 200 of Scope’s 458 retail staff may be made redundant under the proposals, while approximately 2,000 of its 4,337 shop volunteers could also be impacted.
If the proposals go ahead, 41 shops could close shortly after the end of the consultation in March this year, 31 as their leases expire over the next 18 months, with the remaining five closing at lease end or break for broader operational reasons.
CEO: ‘The situation isn’t confined to Scope’
Scope chief executive Mark Hodgkinson said: “Our shops have helped us raise vital income to support our work with disabled people and their families.
“But the high street has had growing trading challenges which we want to now firmly recognise and address.
“Despite our teams' best efforts our shops are collectively now losing money when taking account of all of their costs. A number make strong profits but there are loss-making shops too.
“This situation isn’t confined to Scope. All retailers have been hit with a greater shift to online shopping.
“And we are facing rising rents, soaring energy costs, increased staff costs, and the cost of living squeezing customers.”
He confirmed that the majority of the shops potentially affected by the closures are in England and that the planned closures are “not a set of proposals that we have put forward lightly”.
“We need a retail estate that delivers income for our mission, after all of our costs, now and in the future,” he added.
“The result is that there’s a reasonably even spread of shops throughout the country.”
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