British Heart Foundation to close almost one in four of its charity shops

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) has announced plans to close 150 of its charity shops over the next two years following a review of its retail estate.

The closures represent just under one in four of its 640 stores.

The charity is looking to close 90 stores by the end of March 2027, with the rest to shut their doors for good by March the following year.

“Rising operating costs and changing customer habits”, are behind the decision following the review.

It says that these have meant “some of our shops and stores are no longer financially sustainable”.

The charity also plans to reduce its central teams and functions that support its retail operation.

“The changes are designed to ensure our retail network remains strong and sustainable, said the charity, which added that “our overall financial position remains healthy, with continuing strong performance across fundraising and legacy income”.

It pledged to continue to operate “a large national network of shops and online retail channels, including eBay and our website” and evolve its retail operations to reflect emerging changes in consumer behaviour.

According to its latest accounts ,for 2025, while its gross fundraising income increased by £10.5m, its retail profits declined by £15.2m.

“We know this will be a difficult time for our dedicated colleagues and volunteers in affected stores and emphasise our deep appreciation and gratitude for all they have done for BHF and the communities they serve,” said BHF chief executive Charmaine Griffiths.

“Like most retailers, we are facing an exceptionally challenging trading environment.

“Cardiovascular disease remains one of the UK’s biggest killers and our priority is funding research to save lives. We must take the difficult step to close some of our shops to sustain retail’s important contribution to funding BHF’s ground-breaking research.”

The charity’s chief commercial officer Allison Swaine-Hughes added: “Change is essential so we can continue to serve communities across the UK and raise the funds that power our lifesaving research.

“This is about protecting our mission for the long term, even when the decisions in the shorter term are hard.”