The UK high street is facing another major blow as a huge UK charity shop is closing multiple stores over the next two years. Disability charity Scope has announced it will be closing 47 branches by March 2026. This follows the closure of 24 stores this year already.
Across England and Wales, the charity has confirmed it will be shutting the doors of 74 shops in total this year out of its 138 portfolio. The company is undergoing a major restructuring following a consultation which launched in January - initially, 77 branches were meant to close. Three stores have also recently been closed - Newport in Wales on April 5, Southampton on April 11 and Atherstone on April 12, according to The Sun. During the consultation period, six more shut with a further 18 halting trading before the end of March this year.
The next 47 planned store closures will be across a longer timeline. In May, five branches will close with the rest scheduled to cease trading by March 2026.
In the 2026/27 financial year, an additional four stores are expected to close as Scope majorly scales back its operations. The charity says the decision to close almost half its number of branches is due to a combination of matters.
A depleting number of customers coupled with the increasing running costs has led to the company wanting to hone in on their stronger-performing locations.
Debbie Boylen, Head of Retail at Scope, said: "While many of our shops continue to perform well and contribute vital funds, a number are loss-making. We’re making difficult decisions to protect Scope’s long-term financial stability."
Scope is yet to release a full list of affected locations over the next two years. Employees of the branches are being offered support through the transition period with job losses expected.
Mark Hodgkinson, Scope’s Chief Executive, added: "Our retail team, volunteers and customers have all contributed hugely to the charity’s fundraising efforts.
"However, external challenges have made trading more difficult across the high street."
