The British Heart Foundation (BHF) plans to close around 150 charity shops over the next two years, citing an “exceptionally challenging trading environment”.
The charity said rising operating costs and changing customer habits meant some stores were “no longer financially sustainable”. It currently operates 640 shops across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
“British Heart Foundation plans to close 150 charity shops over two years due to rising costs and changing customer habits.”
Around 90 stores will close by the end of March 2027, with the remainder shutting by March 2028. The closures represent just under a quarter of its total retail network. Central teams supporting the retail arm will also be reduced.
BHF chief executive Charmaine Griffiths said: “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 groundbreaking research.”
The charity stressed its overall financial position “remains healthy” and that it continues to see strong fundraising and legacy income. No single factor led to the decision.
Allison Swaine-Hughes, chief commercial officer, said: “We must act now to ensure a sustainable future for BHF retail. Change is essential so we can continue to serve communities across the UK and raise the funds that power our lifesaving research.”
The BHF will continue to operate online retail channels, including its website and eBay, and said it will evolve its operations to reflect changing customer and donor habits. Affected shop locations will be published on its website once staff have been informed.
Cardiovascular disease causes around one death every three minutes in the UK, according to the charity.
Last year, Cancer Research UK announced plans to close around 90 high street shops by May 2026 and up to 100 more by April 2027, citing similar pressures including rising costs and competition from online resale platforms.