St Wilfrid's Hospice to close charity shops in Eastbourne and Polegate
St Wilfrid’s Hospice has confirmed two of its charity shops will close.
The charity has made the ‘difficult decision’ to close its furniture shop in Langney Road, Eastbourne, and its Polegate High Street store.
It comes after the Eastbourne shop was listed for sale with an asking price of offers in the region of £695,000.
Property agency Sussex Commercial said the charity’s lease is due to expire in August 2028.
And St Wilfrid’s has advised that it will be vacating the property when their lease expires, or earlier if required.
But it confirmed its other East Sussex charity shops will be unaffected by these closures.
Giles Meyer, Commercial and Income Generation Director at St Wilfrid’s, said: “As part of our work to strengthen our income and ensure hospice care is here for generations to come, we are making changes to our retail operations.
“In a difficult retail environment, we have a responsibility to ensure every shop, item donated, pound spent and volunteer hour given achieves the greatest possible impact for local hospice care.
“Therefore, over the next two years we will be investing in the areas of the business where we can make the most profit, and will stop operating in the areas that have limited opportunities.
“We have some exciting plans to expand our retail footprint, and will share information as soon as we are able. Alongside this, we have made the difficult decision to close two of our stores; our Polegate shop and the Furniture Shop in Langney Road.
“We are working with the landlords of these properties on exit plans but are aware that it could take some time. We will continue trading as usual from these locations until we leave, which could be up to August 2028.
“We know that our shops mean a great deal to many people, and we are enormously grateful for the dedication shown by volunteers and customers over many years.
“The proposed changes are not a reflection on the teams running them or our wonderful supporters; both shops have been well managed and well supported by our local community. They simply do not fit with our long-term plan to strengthen retail for the future. We will work with the teams at the affected stores to ensure they are supported throughout this transition.
“Our shops in Herstmonceux, Seaford, Hailsham, Heathfield, Uckfield, and on Terminus Road and Green Street in Eastbourne will continue to trade as normal, and we hope the community will continue to support them and ensure hospice care is here for local people.”
The shop in Langney Road opened in September 2022, while the Polegate store opened in November 2023.