A charity popular with shoppers for selling goods donated by some of the country’s biggest retailers at a fraction of the price has reopened the doors of its Birmingham store today (June 26th).
Newlife’s store at Yew Tree Retail Park in Yardley temporarily closed three months ago when the UK went into lockdown and eager shoppers have been taking to social media to ask when it will re-open. Hordes of shoppers flocked to the opening of the store in October keen to snap up a bargain.
Staff have been busy ensuring the store is Covid secure in line with government guidelines and have introduced limited, safe and reduced measures for the charity’s stores. Social distancing measures and extra aisle space are being introduced to protect both customers and staff.
Harjinder Samra, Deputy Commercial Director at Newlife, said: “We’ve been overwhelmed by the support from our loyal customers wanting to know when our Yardley store will re-open and we’re delighted to be able to welcome shoppers back through the doors on Friday.
“Our retail team has been working hard to ensure the shop is covid secure and ready for shoppers keen to get their hands on a bargain. In order to keep everyone safe, our staff will be wearing PPE and a number of measures will be in place, including a reduced store size for the time being.
“The lockdown has been an incredibly difficult period for us but we’re pleased to be able to start edging back to normality. Thank you to everyone who continues to support us, your generosity means we can keep providing vital equipment to disabled children in need all across the UK.”
Newlife’s Yardley store is the newest in the charity’s network of stores and first opened to eager bargain hunters last autumn.
More than 240 leading high street retailers and manufacturers from across the UK and Europe donate surplus items, faulty products and customer returns to Newlife instead of sending them to landfill. Newlife removes all labels to protect retailers from fraudlent returns and sells the items at much reduced prices.
All profits generated by Newlife’s stores support its vital charity work providing essential specialist equipment to disabled and terminally ill children around the UK, operating a nurse-run helpline and campaigning for change in local and national policies regarding the provision of equipment for disabled children.
Newlife is the UK’s leading charity provider of specialist disability equipment. Over the last three decades it has provided specialist equipment to more than 22,500 children as well as helping fund £15.7million of research.
Despite all of the charity’s stores temporarily closing when the country went into lockdown, losing its main income stream overnight, Newlife managed to keep its emergency equipment loans service and nurse-run helpline operating to ensure it could still help the families in most urgent need throughout lockdown but has estimated a £2million shortfall in income over the last three months.
For opening times and to find out the latest about Newlife’s reopening plans click here.
