In-store Christmas sales reach 8-year high for Oxfam

In-store Christmas sales climbed by 7% in 2019 for Oxfam: an eight year high for the charity. High street sales in the week before Christmas (15-21 December) were the highest since 2011, while sales of donated items on the Oxfam Online Shop during the nine-week festive trading period rose by 11%. Oxfam’s total sales over the period exceeded £19.3 million. This represents a 7% increase on the same time in 2018, and a 5% rise like-for-like, meaning an extra £1.28 million was raised for Oxfam’s work. The charity's Sourced By Oxfam range of ethically sourced and sustainable new products helped drive the growth, with sales of this range in high street shops rising by 13%. There was also strong demand for recycled gift wrap and non-plastic containing crackers, with sales of the latter up by 55%. Shoppers on the high street typically bought two items worth a total of £6.96. Sequins, velvet, and cashmere were top search terms on the Oxfam Online Shop, which saw womenswear sales rise by 10%, while Black Friday sales rose 15% with leather jackets, scarves, first edition books and cameras particularly in demand online.  Andrew Horton, Oxfam’s Trading Director said: “Shoppers are more and more discerning, thinking carefully about how they spend their money. This Christmas sales performance is an encouraging sign that the public loves getting quality, ethical products at fair prices and that our stores are places people enjoy popping into. The welcoming atmosphere is largely thanks to our staff and 20,000 inspiring volunteers who worked so hard over the festive period."    

from UK Fundraising https://ift.tt/30ceuSi