Shoppers in Horwich will notice a new addition to the street… but it’s not just any charity shop, this is an M&S charity shop!
The Derian House store has undergone a dramatic transformation at the hands of super supporters at the Bolton branch of Marks and Spencer.
The children’s hospice, which offers respite, palliative and end of life care to children and young people across the North West, won £500 grant funding from the retail giant’s nationwide Make Every Moment Special campaign.
And as well as the cash, a team of 12 top visual merchandisers from the store spent the day at the charity shop giving it a much-needed boost.
The team arrived at the crack of dawn, armed with paintbrushes and tools, and set to work. They re-painted the staff quarters upstairs and added new curtains, kitchen cupboards and a new dining table.
Down in the main shop, they re-organised the stock and worked their magic to give the store a light, bright new look.
And the icing on the cake was a huge mural of Danni – Derian’s trademark character – painted on the wall.
“On hearing we had Marks and Spencer coming in I was over the moon,” said Joseph Broadhurst, Derian House Store and Retail Supply Manager.
“I knew they would make a big difference as the building is fairly old and the shop was looking quite tired.
“They definitely didn’t disappoint. The effort and devotion from the team was incredible and a credit to the M&S brand. The volunteers who give us so much now have an incredible tea room to chat, relax and socialise in, with tub chairs and space to kick-back on a busy trading day.
“The work done the M&S team has done will be a lifeline for the charity and we cannot thank them enough.”
Staff at Marks and Spencer in Bolton have been fantastic supporters of Derian House, raising more than £11,500 over the last year with fundraising events, including a gruelling three-peaks challenge undertaken by the management team and store colleagues in May.
Lucy Crook, Visual Merchandising Manager at Bolton Marks and Spencer, said: “Derian originally asked if we would improve the staff quarters in the Horwich store and we said: ‘I think we can do a little bit more than that’.
“We’ve re-organised all the stock into sections, putting the best-selling merchandise at the front, which is homeware. We moved the fashion to the back of the store and have colour-coded it. We all had a fab day helping out and it’s our pleasure to be able to help such a worthwhile charity.”