No closing date confirmed for Crawley British Heart Foundation store
The British Heart Foundation has not yet confirmed a closing date for its Crawley furniture shop, five months after its closure was announced.
The charity’s home store at 44 - 46 The Broadway was named in a closure programme announced in June. Its future was raised again by Reform UK Crawley, in a Facebook post, on October 30.
Reform UK Crawley said it had received concerns from shop owners about the town centre.
The group said: “It’s deeply concerning to see more shops struggling, with the British Heart Foundation furniture shop already planning to close its store on The Broadway.”
Asked for an update in November, a BHF spokesperson said there was no further information to add to the June release.
The charity previously announced that it proposed closing around 150 shops and stores nationally, over two financial years, following a review of its retail estate.
It said rising operating costs and changing customer habits meant some shops were no longer financially sustainable.
Around 90 closures were proposed by the end of March 2027, with the remainder by March 2028. The charity has not specified a closing date for the Crawley branch.
The June announcement also included proposed reductions in the central teams supporting its retail operation. BHF said its overall financial position remained healthy, with strong performance across fundraising and legacy income.
Chief executive Dr Charmaine Griffiths said at the time: “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.
“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.”
BHF said that customers could continue shopping and donating as normal while affected stores remained open.
Other Sussex branches named on the closure list were Brighton’s Home Store in London Road, the Eastbourne shop in Terminus Road and the Uckfield shop in High Street.