The retail industry has been hit hard over the past few years, with 14 shops closing every day across the UK in 2011. However, not everyone on the high street has been hit, and charity shops around the country are finally seeing increased footfall and bringing in the money.

Nisyst’s CHARiot is one of the leading charity retail systems in the UK, and as such we are fascinated with how charity shops have become so successful over the past few years. Here, we’re going to take a look at some of the reasons why charity shops have become more popular recently, and how you can translate this success to your store.

Vintage

Vintage is very in fashion now, and more and more people are moving away from the mass-produced clothing found on the high street in favour for second-hand clothing they can find for a much fairer price at a charity shop.

Charity shops are now the home of clothing seen as ‘retro’ and ‘vintage’, as well as giving people access to brands of clothes they may never have been able to buy otherwise.

Of course, the vintage trend doesn’t just transcend to clothing; the shabby chic interior design trend is more popular than ever, and there is no better place to find authentic vintage homeware for a great price than at the local charity shop.

Thriftiness

With the cost of living rising each and every year, there is ongoing pressure on people to become thriftier, and what better way to save money than by shopping in the local charity shop?

Clothes, books and other items available in charity shops are far more affordable than they are on the high street, and have the added benefit of all profits going towards a charitable cause.

Thriftiness is trendier than ever before, and this has certainly contributed to the success of charity shops in the past few years.

Environment

Purchasing second-hand items from charity shops is seen as a sustainable, environmentally-friendly activity that allows people to make use of items that are still perfectly useable without using up the resources that newly made items require.

Donating clothing and other items to charity also prevents them going to landfill, which is not only an immense waste of resources but is also incredibly bad for the environment.

In our environmentally-conscious society, it is plain to see why people are moving towards charity shops to purchase clothing and other goods.

As you can see, there are several reasons why charity shops have proven to be increasingly popular over the years, and with this increasing popularity, you’ll want to have an efficient retail system in place. The CHARiot system by Nisyst is one of the best charity retail systems in the UK, and by working with us, you can work to make your operations far easier.

For more information or to book a CHARiot demonstration, contact us today by calling 01204 706 000.