A Londoner has found a way to sell unwanted clothing and also help charities which can’t afford having a shop on the high street.
Annie Hought, from Leyton in north-east London, has created a resale pop-up shop called Round Retail.
The not-for-profit splits the proceeds equally to the donor, a local charity, and itself to pay for running costs.
Launched in February, it has donated more than £6,000 to five homelessness charities in London and Southampton.
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Ms Hought, 30, said the idea came to her when she was looking to sell her clothes but was torn between donating them to charity or making money.
“In the end I split the profits 50/50, and that’s when I realised there is something in this model,” she said.
Ms Hought continued by saying the response from charities so far has been very positive.
“Because we aren’t giving them a grant to use on something specific, they are able to use whatever fundraising we’ve done to target whatever needs they might have at the time,” she said.
Round Retail’s fifth location in Brockley, south-east London is raising money for The 999 Club, a charity whose mission is to support local people at risk of, or experiencing, homelessness.
Its CEO Thomas Neumark said: “It’s a really exciting partnership for us because we all know there’s a cost of living crisis going on and that means there’s lots more people experiencing homelessness.”
Mr Neumark said selling clothes in a way that also gives back to the person donating is useful because “more and more people are coming through our doors and at the same time the reasons they are coming in the door… is why donors find it harder and harder to give”.
He added: “It’s even more important for us to get that fundraising in, get that local connection going, and work on a high street that we wouldn’t be able to work in if we weren’t in partnership.”
As well as helping charities, Round Retail’s customers have said it’s providing a welcome boost for the high street.
Brockley locals Mina and Tan visited the pop-up and said they welcomed the fact the space has changed over the years.
“It was a corner shop first and then a vintage shop,” Tan said.
Mina explained the current set up has caught her eye, “because it actually gives back to the community”.
“There’s also some really affordable clothing here and at a time when it’s expensive to shop, and we still wanna look fly, that’s amazing.”
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