Charity shop with over 600 UK stores set to close city store after 35 years of operations

A popular charity shop with over 600 stores across the UK has announced the closure of a site. It will shut next month with a spokesperson saying the store is "no longer a financially viable option".

The Cancer Research UK shop in Stoke, Plymouth, has been operating for over 35 years. However, it has been confirmed that it will close for good on Saturday, June 21. As reported by the BBC, a spokesperson for the charity gave their "heartfelt thanks" to staff and volunteers.

They said: "This decision was not taken lightly, as we understand the significant impact a shop closure can have on the community.

"We have a responsibility to ensure that we are using charity funds effectively and efficiently to maximise our contribution to life-saving research.

"Whilst we explore all avenues before making the decision to close a shop, unfortunately, the Stoke (Plymouth) shop was no longer a financially viable option."

It was previously reported that major charity Scope will close 77 of its 138 UK stores over the next 18 months. The charity cited reasons such as rising costs for the closures which will impact around 200 retail staff and 2,000 volunteers.

Meanwhile, other leading charity shops have not ruled out further closures this year. According to a Charity Retail Association (CRA) report, UK retailers said "this is the worst time for trading they have ever encountered" and shops would "unlikely come out of this 100% unscathed".

CRA’s directors said: "We’ve already seen a significant reduction in the shop estate of one of our most experienced and sizable members – Scope – and anecdotally we’re aware that there are others of our larger members in particular who are considering similar action.

"There appears to be a bit of a perfect storm at the moment, with income being relatively flat, and cost pressures being almost unprecedented. These two factors are combining to hit profitability in a way that most charity retailers have rarely seen before."

Charities such as the British Heart Foundation, Barnardo's, Oxfam and Cancer Research UK have suffered a decline in sales over recent times. CRA's chief executive Robin Osterly said these bigger charities are struggling more than smaller ones.