Hospice News

Shops Stories

We were thrilled to open our flagship shop on Whiteladies Road in March. Here, manager Thom tells us how it's been a hit with local customers and national influencers alike.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I spent 13 years working in visual merchandising in corporate retail before joining St Peter's around seven years ago. I really love being in the charity sector. Working with volunteers is amazing. Everyone's here because they want to be and that's something you don't necessarily get in a corporate environment.

Thom (back left) with the team at Whiteladies Road

What's special about the shop?

We wanted to make a statement and do things differently. The biggest thing we decided to do was to split the clothing brands into 'contemporary' and 'classic'. The contemporary section is led by on-trend brands like Zara and Topshop and the classics are brands like Hobbs and M&S. There's a bit of science behind visual
merchandising - we're making it easier for customers without them really knowing it!

How has that gone down with customers?

Customers have been really complimentary about the way we've curated the shop - it's been quite overwhelming. A social media influencer with 22.5k followers said this was the most beautiful charity shop she'd ever been in. We're quite a modest team – we don't blow our own trumpets! So that was a really good endorsement for us.

What do you love most about working in the shop?

It sounds cheesy but there's such a good atmosphere here. I can't really describe it - otherwise I'd sell the concept for millions to retailers everywhere! But it's really special. I've got volunteers who say, 'I absolutely love coming here every week'.

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