UK charity shop chains have posted an overall rise in profits of 14.3 per cent since last year – the highest profit ever recorded – according to results from the Charity Shops Survey 2012.

Run by publishing and media company Civil Society and sponsored by the Charity Retail Association, the survey – published in the October edition of Charity Finance and Fundraising magazines – is now in its 21st year and has seen charity shop numbers rise for the ninth consecutive year.

Over 74 charities provided data to the survey, covering 6,233 shops – 226 more than in 2011, and the most ever counted in the survey – and collectively showed that the charity shop sector is thriving in the ongoing economic recession, with income up 6.8 per cent and profits up 14.3 per cent to £716.4 million in 2012.

Reasons for the sector doing so well in the recession include affordable properties, less competition from closed or empty high street shops and an increase in shoppers looking for cheaper clothing.

Over 70 per cent of shop managers said that they now expect to expand their shop chains in the coming year to take full advantage of the increasing foot traffic.

Warren Alexander, Chief Executive of the Charity Retail Association commented on the figures, saying: “At a time when grants and other funding is being reduced, this ability to generate unrestricted income should be more important than ever to chief executives of UK charities with an eye on the bottom line.”

The survey also found that there is a growing online charity shop presence, with over two-thirds of charities currently selling goods through eBay, and a further 23 per cent surveyed saying that they would consider using other trading platforms such as Amazon or AbeBooks to further increase sales.

Retail Director for the British Heart Foundation - the largest UK charity shop chain - , Mike Taylor, commented: “We’re delighted that our shops are continuing to be a popular choice for shoppers keen to buy good quality items at low prices. The recession has seen our sales grow, this year (2011-2012) we generated a record breaking profit of over £31 million– giving us the confidence to further extend our nationwide network of BHF Shops and Furniture & Electrical Stores.

“This success wouldn’t be possible without stock donations, it’s the lifeblood of our stores and we’re always keen to receive saleable donations which help us to continue our life saving work. We’re also always looking for volunteers, especially in our Furniture & Electrical Stores, you can find out more by popping into your local BHF Shop or visiting www.bhf.org.uk/volunteer."

Around 75 per cent of shop managers said that they were concerned about depleting stock numbers due to the rate of donations not being able to outweigh the increasing popularity of the shops. The second most concerning issue cited was volunteer availability, despite over 6,5000 volunteers joining charity shops in the last twelve months.

There were also reports of concerns regarding an ‘increasing tendency’ by local authorities to challenge ‘both the mandatory and discretionary elements of charity shops’ rates relief’ (business rate relief).

Read the Charity Shops Survey 2012.

Table of figures for the 10 largest charity shop outlets on the UK high street:

Image courtesy of Civil Society Media.