The British Heart Foundation (BHF) has announced plans to close approximately 150 of its charity shops and reduce staff numbers, attributing the decision to escalating operational expenses and a significant shift in consumer behavior toward online shopping. This move renders roughly a quarter of the charity's high street locations commercially unsustainable.
The charity conducted a comprehensive review of its retail division, which employs nearly 3,700 individuals, following a dramatic decline in net profit across its 640 UK stores. Profits plummeted from £18.8 million in 2024 to just £3.6 million in the fiscal year ending 31 March 2025.
Challenging Trading Environment
Charmaine Griffiths, chief executive of the British Heart Foundation (BHF), acknowledged the difficult circumstances. "Like most retailers, we are facing an exceptionally challenging trading environment," she said. "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."
Griffiths received a £35,000 pay rise, bringing her total compensation to £268,239 for the current financial year. The charity also indicated plans to cut jobs in "central functions that support our retail operation."
Financial Overview and Staffing
BHF employs 795 staff at its head office and a total of 4,545 employees, equivalent to 3,692 full-time positions. The charity's wage and pension bill reached £136 million last year, with 180 staff earning £60,000 or more, according to the latest annual report.
The charity intends to close 90 stores by the end of March next year, with the remaining 60 closures to follow by March 2027.
Ensuring Long-Term Sustainability
Allison Swaine-Hughes, chief commercial officer at BHF, emphasized the necessity of these actions. "We must act now to ensure a sustainable future for BHF retail," she stated. "This is about protecting our mission for the long term, even when the decisions in the shorter term are hard."
Despite the retail challenges, BHF reported that its overall financial position "remains healthy," though the proportion of income allocated to charitable work decreased last year. Total income for 2025 was £181 million, but net income after deducting direct costs fell by nearly £9 million to £129.6 million.
"Overall the ratio of income available for charitable activities reduced to 72%, a decrease from 77% in the previous year, but still above our benchmark of allocating 70p of every £1 towards our lifesaving work," the charity stated in its annual report.
Griffiths reiterated the charity's core mission: "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."
