A south east London charity which saw record retail sales in the lead-up to lockdown is fearing the future impact of the pandemic on its income.

Customers flocked to Demelza Hospice Care for Children’s charity shops in West Wickham, Petts Wood and Eltham last week, eager to grab a bargain before doors were forced to close for at least a month.

The increase in footfall saw its retail profits double on Wednesday November 4, the last day of trading.

Demelza, which provides vital care and emotional support to children with serious and terminal condition and has a hospice in Eltham, has been on an ‘unpredictable rollercoaster’ since the pandemic began, explained Ashely Henson, Director of Retail.

“The COVID-19 crisis has hit every sector hard, including charities,” said Ashley.

“In recent months we’ve worked so hard to introduce robust safety measures in our shops and recruit volunteers to support our work, while others were shielding.

“We’ve come so far and it’s been astounding to see so many customers turning out to support us.

"We are naturally very upset to be closing at a time when our stores are doing so well. The impact on income will undoubtedly be massive.

“Fortunately, our vital care continues at our hospices and in the community, with urgent short breaks for families in need and online therapies for extremely vulnerable children who haven’t seen beyond their own four walls for months.”

The first lockdown saw Demelza close its 26 stores for over three months, while social distancing measures meant the charity had no choice but to cancel all of its fundraising events indefinitely. 

The forced closure is a blow for all of Demelza’s shops, including its Eltham store which saw record sales on Wednesday, with income increasing by 60% on the same period last year.

Eltham Shop manager, Jo O’Keefe, said: “It was so busy with people shopping all day.  We maintained social distancing and limited numbers in the shop and took so much money.

We were busy selling Christmas stock, new items and winter clothes and have also been selling face masks made by one of our talented volunteers”.

Jo continued: “We accepted far more donations than normal but with restrictions we wanted to ensure supporters could donate and we have plenty of stock for when we re-open in December”.

A small team will work behind the scenes during lockdown to safely process any donations received prior the recent lockdown, ensuring all items are correctly quarantined ready for sale as soon as the shop can safely open.

The charity is now encouraging customers to continue showing their support by shopping for quality, pre-loved goods online via its eBay store (Demelza’s 27th shop), Depop and purchasing Christmas cards on the Demelza website at www.demelza.org.uk