About us

We are the primary membership association for charity shops in the UK.

Our sector generates more than £387m surplus funds per year from more than a billion pounds of turnover, and harnesses the skills of more than 187,200 volunteers nationwide. Charity retail promotes charitable causes and an environmentally sustainable retail experience.

Our UK members run over 8600 shops between them.

Our vision

A successful, sustainable, trusted and valued charity retail sector.

Six strategic objectives

These objectives form the basis of our activities. Every activity that we undertake will fall into one of these objectives:

  1. Champion charity retail
  2. Strengthen charity retail
  3. Build a strong community of charity retailers
  4. Be the accessible knowledge hub of charity retail
  5. Promote environmental sustainability within the CRA and the sector
  6. Strengthen the CRA’s capacity to support the sector and our members

Strategic plan 2024-2027

You can read about the context and how we will achieve our six strategic objectives in our strategic plan 2024-2027.

What we do

  • Lobby on key issues including Gift Aid, waste charging and donated stock supply
  • Provide a sense of community and collaboration both online and through a comprehensive schedule of events
  • Promote best practice through policy guidance, mentoring and other practical resources
  • Increase public support for charity retail through campaigns
  • Carry out and commission research, such as market analysis and specialist reports for bench-marking and informing decision-makers, our members and the public
  • Provide training and learning opportunities

Annual report

Our board of directors

Category A: 1-19 shops
Category B: 20-99 shops
Category C: 100-549 shops
Category D: 550+ shops

  • Ruth Blazye – Director for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion – Scope
  • Sarah Coles – The Hospice of St Francis (Cat A)
  • Susan Cooper – Highland Hospice (Cat A)
  • Lauren Davies – Director of Youth Engagement – St Michael’s Hospice (Hastings and Rother)
  • Steve Derrick – RNLI (Cat C)
  • Lorna Fallon – Oxfam GB (Cat D)
  • Katy Faulkner – Sue Ryder (Cat C)
  • Jane Flannery – British Heart Foundation (Cat D)
  • David Longmore (Vice Chair) – Barnardo’s (Cat D)
  • James Martin – Director for Public Affairs
  • Rita Matanda – Director for Finance and Chair, CRA Finance Committee
  • Dermot McGilloway – Society of St Vincent de Paul (Cat C)
  • Karen McKenzie – Douglas Macmillan Hospice (Cat B)
  • Jo Mewett – Cancer Research UK (Cat D)
  • Robin Osterley – Charity Retail Association (ex officio)
  • Emma Peake (Chair) – RSPCA Leicestershire, Peterborough and Rutland (Cat A)