31st August 2026
Britain’s charity shops are under pressure. Oxfam is reportedly considering closing up to 100 High Street stores, after other major charities have closed theirs. But this issue is about much more than charity shops.
For decades, charity shops have filled the gaps left as traditional retailers disappeared from town centres. They have provided affordable goods, opportunities for recycling, income for charities and, crucially, places where people volunteer, meet others and participate in their communities.
Now that model is under threat. More people are selling unwanted goods themselves through platforms such as eBay and Vinted. Charity shops are finding it harder to obtain the quality donations on which their profitability has depended. If they begin disappearing from our High Streets, what replaces them?
Another cafe? Another barber? Another vape shop? Or simply another empty building?
In this video, I argue that we need to think much more radically about what the High Street is for. Town centres do not have to be exclusively retail spaces. They could provide housing, leisure facilities, community spaces and the “third spaces” where people can meet without being required to spend significant amounts of money.
This is not just a property problem. It is a people problem.
If the High Street is going to survive, local authorities and government need to start reimagining it now.