Second hand goods: monthly retail sales value index in Great Britain 2016-2021

Growing concerns over sustainability in retail revitalized the consumption of second-hand goods. In the United Kingdom, the interest in the second-hand goods were reassuring in the past three years. The general monthly trend during this period was a steady increase in the sales value with certain months outperforming others. After dropping to an all-time low of 30.9 in February 2021, sales value increased rapidly in the following months, reaching to an index level of 122.3 in May 2021.  

Second-hand goods shops in the UK

  The UK is host to a high number of second-hand retail stores. Charity shops are the most common types that sell second-hand goods, be it clothing items, books, or household things. With each year, UK consumers spend more and more in charity shops and the annual sales revenue generated from these establishments is increasing at a fast rate.   

UK’s most popular charity shop

  The UK’s most popular charity shop belongs to British Heart Foundation. The organisation runs 724 shops across the United Kingdom. Likewise, the revenue the British Heart Foundation generates from the sales of mostly second-hand goods in its shops placed the charity at the top position within the UK. The British Heart Foundation was founded 1961 with the ethos of funding research on heart diseases and related conditions.