YMCA says Ripon charity shop will reopen
The YMCA has announced its charity shop at the Marshall Way retail park in
Ripon, which closed at short notice on September 1, is to reopen.
Five days after a brief statement on the shop’s Facebook page said that it had ‘ceased trading’, a further message posted on the
page said:
“We sincerely apologise for the temporary closure of this store. This is due to property circumstances beyond our control.
“The good news is we will be open again soon!”
The Ripon shop, which is part of a portfolio of 100 plus YMCA stores in England and Wales managed by the charity’s national retail team in London, opened in February in the unit formerly occupied by Argos.
The Stray Ferret contacted the YMCA’s London office to ask when the shop would be reopening, why it had closed so suddenly and what is happening with goods that had been donated by members of the public.
As of this morning (Wednesday) no reply has been received and the shop remains closed.
Ripon’s YMCA charity shop closes suddenlyThe YMCA’s charity shop at the Marshall Way retail park in Ripon has closed at short notice less than seven months after it opened.
The closure was announced on Friday in a brief message posted on the shop’s Facebook page. It said:
“It is with great sadness to announce the closure of our shop. Unfortunately, we had no notice to inform our customers and we ceased trading at 5.30pm today.
“Thank you to all our staff, volunteers, customers and to everyone who donated.”
The Stray Ferret visited the retail park this morning and discovered that all but a handful of items had been removed from the premises, while a handwritten sign on the door thanked customers and pointed out that the closest YMCA shop is in Boroughbridge.
The shop, part of a portfolio of 100 plus YMCA stores in England and Wales managed by the charity’s national retail team in London, opened in February in the unit formerly occupied by Argos.
Staffed by a manager and two assistant managers, with assistance from volunteers, it sold a range of items, including furniture and electrical goods.
The Stray Ferret contacted the YMCA’s London office to ask why the shop had closed so suddenly, what was going to happen to the staff and what was happening with goods that had been donated by members of the public. No reply has been received so far.