The retail chain of Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust has recorded a 254.3 per cent profit increase, with the charity crediting its focus on specialist furniture and electrical shops.   

Speaking exclusively to Charity Finance as part of its 2013 Charity Shops Survey, to be published in October, the charity’s head of retail, Julie Burley, revealed the secret behinds its success. 

“It’s because we’ve got big furniture shops now,” Burley said. “We’re not afraid to open big specialist superstores – we have one such shop that makes £145,000 profit a year alone.”

Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust, which has eight shops in total, tops the Charity Shops Survey profit growth table this year. 

It also recorded the highest income increase out of the non-hospice charities in this year's Charity Shops Survey, seeing it rise by 69.8 per cent.

BHF was the model

Burley said that its move into big specialist stores was inspired by the example of a well-known charity brand.

“We’ve been influenced by the success of the British Heart Foundation,” she said, “and like them our plan now is to not open any more small shops, only the big superstores with furniture and electrical.

“Specialising is definitely the future – to be successful in the charity retail market you have to stand out.”

Another contributing factor, according to Burley, was that the charity has been taking advantage of so-called pop-up shops.

“When a commercial retail chain closes down, you then have landlords sitting on empty shops,” she explained. “The landlord is about to pay colossal business rates, so we just sit in and babysit it, while he still keeps the ‘to let’ sign up. We come in with our furniture, put a till in and we can sell from the shop without paying any rent as we’re exempt from business rates.

“It also helps landlords as insurance for empty premises is currently through the roof.”

Burley disclosed that the chain does not as yet claim gift aid, and added that once it does she expects to record even better figures.

For more details on Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust’s success, as well as a full analysis of 85 charity retail chains comprising more than 6,500 shops nationwide, you can pre-order the 2013 Charity Shops Survey today – available at a discounted rate via the link below.

2013 Charity Shops Survey - pre order your copy and save £25.00 85 charities, over 6,500 shops, more than £762m income… but only one place with everything you need to know. Find out more...