A brand new “Store of the Future” concept store, a thrift shop operated by the British Heart Foundation (BHF), opens today in Scotland’s capital Edinburgh, and it’s a model of both charity and sustainability. For example, the cash desk countertop is produced using waste textile direct from the BHF’s 675 shops across the UK. Waste plastic, bubble wrap and plastic bags are being formed to manufacture unique lampshades above the cash desk, and the store’s entire lighting system is produced via a 3D printing process using recycled plastic.
The 7,000-square-foot store, located in Edinburgh’s Straiton Retail Park, will offer pre-loved clothing, accessories, homeware and books. The front window has been styled using one-of-a-kind upcycled pieces from BHF shows by actress and BHF Retail Ambassador Kimberly Hart-Simpson, as well as upcycled furniture from University of Edinburgh design students. And, appropriately for an organization trying to protect hearts, a defibrillator is attached to the wall.
“This Store of the Future concept is our next step that we’re exploring for our retail real estate,” said Allison Swaine-Hughes, Retail Director of the BHF in a statement. “As the UK’s largest charity retailer, we remain committed to reducing, reusing and recycling our resources so that there is no avoidable waste.”
Sustainability Mission Includes Store Design and Operation
The BHF’s shops support research into all types of heart diseases, stroke, vascular dementia and diabetes, and in the process they save 54,000 tons of goods from going to waste each year, including 186,000 sofas and armchairs and more than 11 million tons of clothing. The 675 stores in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will sell approximately 25 million donated items this year. Additionally, since launching its Depop account, the BHF has achieved a five-star rating, with more than 22,000 followers helping to raise funds.
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The Foundation also supports sustainability by using energy-efficient lighting in its shops across the country. Now, this Store of the Future points the way to even bigger sustainability achievements. Key features include:
- Waste/damaged CDs and DVDs are being chipped and cast in sheet material to produce the in-store peg boards;
- All clothing hangers are produced using ocean plastics and are self-colored;
- The splashback panels in the staff kitchen and bathrooms are made from recycled bottle tops;
- The carpet consists of 94% recycled materials;
- The store uses no MDF (medium-density fiberboard), MFC (melamine faced chipboard) or oil-based materials;
- The store’s display system has been designed for ease of use and versatility as well as to be low carbon and cost-efficient, and it has been entirely manufactured in the UK; and
- Information plaques around the store will feature Braille descriptions.
“Shopping with the BHF isn’t just about saving money,” said Swaine-Hughes. “It’s about saving lives by helping to fund research into heart and circulatory diseases and saving unwanted items from going to landfill, which we know is also motivating shoppers to choose to shop with us.”
