Hospice charity opens first department store

Store manager Emma Hawnt said it was a "very exciting" time for the charity

A hospice charity dedicated to supporting people with terminal illnesses will open its first department store later.

St Luke's will open at the Kilner Way retail park in Sheffield, with a wide range of goods from clothing to furniture and homeware, in the charity's "most ambitious retail project to date".

It said its existing retail chain currently raised about £3m a year and supported 1,800 patients.

The new store's manager Emma Hawnt said: "We need to raise £10.5m ourselves, which is why we're constantly looking for new opportunities to try and bring income in."

The store will also act as a drop-off point for the charity

St Luke's has sought to tailor its existing stores to changing trends, such as with its recently opened vintage outlet in the city centre.

Ms Hawnt said customers could browse its full range under one roof at the 8,500 sq ft (790 sqm) store, while people could also visit after work, boosting fundraising potential.

She said: "I've been with St Luke's 14 years, and it's really changed.

"The customers have changed, the kinds of donations have changed, and a lot more people are coming in to buy those sorts of things."

Jenny Booth said the department store would help the charity raise the £14m it needed to keep operating

Head of retail Jenny Booth said: "We look after anyone over the age of 18 across Sheffield, anyone with any terminal illness.

"It's very important that the income we raise is funding that.

"We need £14m a year."

Changing their shops to keep up with retail habits was important for the charity, Ms Booth added.

"We need to keep moving, we can't stand still. If we need to do something different, we will."

St Luke's said it received government funding via the NHS Sheffield Clinical Commissioning Group, although this was a "declining proportion of the income we need – currently just 25%".

Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here.