Shoppers return to favourite retail store

Shoppers return to favourite retail store

Hundreds of shoppers have once again experienced the joy of finding a pre-loved bargain at one of Hereford’s favourite retail stores.
St Michael’s Hospice Whitecross Road Home and Living Store reopened its doors to customers on Monday 13th July after the implementation of safety measures to ensure the store complies with the government’s COVID 19 guidelines.

These measures include perspex screens at till points, hand sanitiser stations and gloves for customers, restricted customer numbers, social distancing, PPE for staff, additional instore deep cleaning, and the closing of changing rooms.

St Michael’s Hospice Head of Retail Nicola Wood said, ‘We have adapted our stores and introduced new ways of working to meet government guidelines and to ensure they are as safe as possible for our staff, volunteers and customers. I am very proud of what the team has achieved, and seeing hundreds of happy customers during our first week has made it all worthwhile.’

In the run-up to the stores reopening, the Herefordshire community rallied to support their Hospice by handing over enough pre-loved items at the temporary Donation Stations in Hereford, Leominster and Ross-on-Wye to fund the salary of two full-time nurses for a year.
During its first week of trading, the Whitecross Road store grossed just over £7,100, a figure that is very close to pre-pandemic levels.
Hospice Retail generates £2.4 million each year from the sale of pre-loved items. Nicola added, ‘It’s very encouraging to see that people still want to shop with us and so many people are choosing to donate to St Michael’s Hospice. This level of support will make it possible for our Care Team to continue providing vital service for the families living with a terminal illness. I want to say a heartfelt thank you to all our wonderful and loyal supporters.’

Click here to find out the latest information about how to donate and shop opening hours

For supporters planning to donate goods, St Michael’s Hospice is asking people to book a time slot in advance of arriving at the Tomkins Theatre donation station on Whitecross Road in Hereford. Your donation drop-off time-slot must be booked in advance; please call 01432 842759

Photo caption l-r: Store Manager Robert Young, RetailWarehouse Assistant Deb Hurds and Volunteer Sue Libetta