£88m Royal Parks charity opens its first shop – with more to come

Charity

The £88m Royal Parks charity has opened its first shop – in the heart of Hyde Park.

The shop opened in the recently-renovated boat house by the Serpentine Lake opened on Tuesday.

It sells a range of products, including books, clothes and homeware.

The Royal Parks split from the government to register as a charity in 2017 and manages London’s eight Royal Parks.

In a press release, the charity said the shop would “provide visitors with a new way to engage with and support the nature and heritage of the parks”.

It comes after the Royal Parks hired Caroline Gitsham as its first interim retail director earlier this year, leading the charity’s retail strategy.

A retail manager and staff working both full-time and part-time jobs have been hired to run the shop.

The charity also plans to hire a permanent head of retail and explore further shop locations in its parks using a mobile unit in the future.

Profits from the shop will be reinvested into looking after the parks, including through conservation and restoration projects.

Gitsham said: “We hope that Londoners and people visiting Hyde Park from further afield will enjoy popping into our new shop to browse our seasonal range of high-quality, sustainably-sourced products – and maybe treat themselves to a souvenir of their day or find a thoughtful gift for a friend.

“Our products are inspired by the wonderful nature and the important heritage of the Royal Parks.

“Profits will go towards protecting and enhancing these valuable green spaces so that visitors now and in the future can continue to enjoy them.”

The shop is open daily, from 10am to 8pm.

The Royal Parks had a total income of £87.7m in the financial year ending March 2022, with expenditure of £76.8m, according to its accounts.
It has 174 employees, 12 trustees and 1,883 volunteers.

Products You May Like

Articles You May Like

Charities face ‘campaign drain’ as pressure on staff grows, report finds
Workplace volunteering can reduce sickness absences, report finds
Research charity appoints chief executive
Hamas’ Global War What Do College Campuses Have to Do With It? By Howard Bloom
Charities losing their radical identities, foundation chief warns

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *