The British Heart Foundation (BHF), the UK's largest charity retailer, has announced proposals to close around 150 of its shops and stores over the next two financial years after its retail operations fell to a £3.3m loss. The charity described the financial return as "not sustainable" and said the changes are designed to ensure its retail network "remains strong and sustainable".
Retail loss follows challenging trading conditions
In its annual report and accounts for 2025-26, the BHF said it had made "lifesaving progress in a challenging year". The charity confirmed it invested £103m in research, alongside £10m into the BHF Data Science Centre and £5m to a global research programme on women's heart health. Its total income for the previous financial year was £175.3m.
The charity's main revenue stream comes from legacies, followed by fundraising activities and then proceeds from its retail outlets and online operations. However, the organisation stated: "Operating the largest charity retailer in the UK and the largest eBay charity retailer in the world remains a privilege, but like most non-food retailers we continued to face challenging trading conditions in the UK this past year."
As a result, retail fell to a £3.3m loss, compared with a £3.6m profit in 2025. The charity said: "This level of financial return is not sustainable, such that following a detailed review of our retail estate amid rising operating costs and changing customer habits, on June 4, 2026 proposals to close around 150 of our shops and stores over the next two financial years were announced."
List of proposed closures published
As of March 31, 2026, the BHF's retail portfolio comprised 651 outlets, including 470 clothing shops and 181 home stores. During the year, the charity opened 11 new premises, relocated three, and closed 25 as part of its "ongoing optimisation strategy".
In June 2026, the organisation published a list of branches earmarked for closure, including 5 Scottish branches: Dumfries (60 High Street), Dalkeith (3 Jarnac Court), Dumfries Home Store (Unit 12/13 Loreburne Shopping Centre), Elgin (165 High Street), and Hawick (64 High Street).
Dr Charmaine Griffiths, BHF chief executive, said: "Our shops mean so much to our colleagues, brilliant volunteers and communities across the UK. They are places where people come together to donate, shop and volunteer, helping to make a real difference to lives affected by cardiovascular disease."
She added: "We know this will be a difficult time for our dedicated colleagues and volunteers in affected stores and emphasise our deep appreciation and gratitude for all they have done for BHF and the communities they serve. 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."
