Charity shops: A niche in time pays fine

By Alex Blyth, Third Sector, 2 July 2008

Cancer Research UK shut down its Wishes greetings cards chain in May. Should this be a warning to other charities that want to move into niche retailing? Not if they can get the location and the branding right, reports Alex Blyth.

It's a tough time to be a retailer. The spiralling cost of living is expected to make consumers increasingly reluctant to spend, and that will affect charity shops too. But many charities have hit upon a new way to combat the credit crunch: niche retailing. The British Red Cross, Oxfam,...