Charity shop Scope closing 56 stores – full list shutting down 'in weeks'

2 September 2025, 16:47

Half a dozen are pulling down their shutters for good this autumn. Picture: Alamy

By Claire Blackmore

High street chain Scope has already closed 50 stores this year, and now six more shops are dragging down their shutters for good.

Loading audio...

Scope is facing a string of closures this month, after the charity shop chain has already shut down 50 of its branches in 2025.

The high street store is set to lock the doors for good on six locations in the next few weeks following a tricky consultation period in early March.

By the end of September, 56 of the disability equality organisation's shops are to cease trading, meaning almost half of Scope stores in the England and Wales will have faced the brutal chop.

Podcast: Listen and subscribe to The News Agents

Key dates announced by bosses confirmed that half a dozen are drawing their shutters forever this autumn, with closures occurring between 30th August and 27th September.

56 Scope stores will cease trading by the end of September. Picture: Alamy

The list features a shop in Alton in Hampshire, which closed down on Saturday 30th August.

Also ending business are stores situated in Bishop’s Stortford in Hertfordshire, Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire, and Newmarket in Suffolk, all with a final trading date of 6th September.

Scope's in Beverley, East Yorkshire, and Fleet, Hampshire, will close down for good on 27th September.

Debbie Boylen, head of retail at Scope, said: "We never take the decision to close our stores lightly. For our team members and volunteers, it's more than just a job.

"We know they feel passionately about playing their part in our work to create an equal future with disabled people, and our decision does not reflect their hard work or dedication to Scope."

Read more: Full list of 10 new Matalan shops opening across the UK
Read more: Sainsbury's axe 3 popular supermarket services

Branches have already started disappearing from the high street. Picture: Alamy

A string of closures happened earlier this year, with another wave over the summer and more during spring time.

Many locations and staff members were taken over by World UK CIC.

The organisation is considering shutting down a whopping 77 of its 138 shops in total.

Reasons behind the removal of Scope's high street stores have been revealed by the charity's chief executive, Mark Hodgkinson, who said it's all down to the cost of living crisis and the rise of online shopping.

He explained: "This situation isn’t confined to Scope. All retailers have been hit with a greater shift to online shopping.

"And we are facing rising rents, soaring energy costs, increased staff costs, and the cost of living squeezing customers."