Northampton charity shop with a difference celebrates 1st Birthday

The celebrations coincide with the official opening weekend of Northampton’s recently refurbished Market Square, which will feature a variety of events and activities for people of all ages.

Fully stocked with branded toiletries, make-up, toys and cleaning products alongside other items kindly donated by UK businesses, the charity’s flagship store has gone from strength-to-strength over the last year.

Items sold in the shop are in their original packaging and are either end of line, excess or unwanted stock that has been discontinued or is no longer needed by local retailers, manufacturers and warehouses. Money taken is ploughed straight back into the charity, helping to provide over 2,000 free gift bags every week to people undergoing cancer treatment at 17 hospitals across the region.

Such has been the success of the Northampton store that the charity has recently opened a second store in The Mall Luton.

Starting life as a pop-up outlet in the Grosvenor Centre back in 2022, the now permanent shop was the brainchild of charity founders Lorraine and Lee Lewis, supported by Sol Retail CEO, Barry Tong.

“Sol Retail has been donating unwanted products to The Lewis Foundation since 2018”, comments Lorraine Lewis, CEO and founder of The Lewis Foundation. “We’d been selling this stock to raise funds for the charity and, encouraged by Barry, we had the idea of creating an actual physical shop. As far as we know, there are no other charity shops in the county quite like ours so we’re leading the way and we can’t quite believe we’re celebrating our first birthday already!”

“The support we’ve had has been phenomenal, not only from the retailers and manufacturers who donate their surplus stock, but also from the team at the Grosvenor Centre Northampton, who put their faith in us from the early days of the pop-up shop. As well, West Northamptonshire Council donated £5,000 from its Social Investment Fund to refurbish the store, and we continue to be amazed by the support of our loyal customers, who return to the store time and time again. The 10% off day on the 19th of October is our way of saying ‘thank you’ to them. As well, a huge thank-you must go out to our team of volunteers who staff the shop – we simply couldn’t do it without you!”

Barry Tong, CEO of Sol Retail, comments: “It’s so wonderful to see how successful The Lewis Foundation Outlet Shop has been and we’re very proud to have played a part in helping to establish the store as a must-visit location at the heart of Northampton town centre. People want bargain products, especially at the moment, and businesses need to get rid of their surplus stock, so it’s fantastic that The Lewis Foundation meets both of these challenges, all while raising much-needed funds to provide more free gift packs to adults diagnosed with cancer in hospital. Happy birthday to the store from us and here’s to many more birthdays ahead!”

Phil Murphy, head of property and transactions at Evolve Estates, which owns and manages the Grosvenor centre, said: “As a community focused centre in the heart of Northampton, it makes perfect sense to work with a local charity closely connected with residents of the town. Positioned alongside national retailers such as Primark and Deichmann, The Lewis Foundation’s shop is now an integral part of the centre, helping cancer patients across the region while enabling the local community to get their hands on some retail bargains.”

To donate surplus stock to The Lewis Foundation, email: [email protected]

For more information on The Lewis Foundation, visit www.thelewisfoundation.co.uk