Focus on pre-loved items for resale and community spirit as The Salvation Army opens new store

A new two-storey Salvation Army charity store will open this coming Tuesday (22nd July) on the former Next site on Suffolk Retail Park, London Road, Ipswich.

This will be open for business Monday to Saturday, 9am–5pm. As well as retail space, the centre is intended as a social hub for community use and will house a community fridge, where emergency food is available without referral.

The store is accepting donations of clothing, household items, books, furniture and electrical items. Free furniture collection is available. The site offers three hours free parking and EV charging.

According to Major Jo Todd, Associate Officer of Ipswich Citadel, the donation centre will boost The Salvation Army’s ability to help people in the town. 

"The people of Ipswich have long been very kind in offering pre-loved items for resale," she says. "So much so, that, due to lack of space, the three Salvation Army churches in the town have sometimes had to turn donations away.”

“This has been very stressful for all concerned. The donation centre will enable The Salvation Army to accept many more offers and arrange collection or delivery of larger items where necessary. This will make the process more satisfactory for donors and enable The Salvation Army to help more people in need."

Centre Manager Julie Eveleigh says: "As well as being the go to place for donations, the new centre offers people the opportunity to give their time and build relationships through volunteering. Volunteering just a few hours a week can make a huge difference to our work and can be great for the volunteer’s social, emotional and mental wellbeing."

The Salvation Army’s Divisional Leader for Anglia, Major Howard Russell, comments: "We welcome the opening of the Ipswich donation centre. With existing centres, we have seen opportunities for volunteering, a further visible presence for pointing people towards the wider work of The Salvation Army, and amazing opportunities for mission and ministry."

The new donation centre will complement the charity’s town centre shop in Upper Brook Street which is open for business, Monday to Saturday, 9am–5pm.

2025 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

Physical stores will be a key focus area at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards, which are now open for entries, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our 2024 hall of fame entrants were revealed during an event which took place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London on 21st November, and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by comedian Lucy Porter.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “The event is now into its sixth year and what a journey it has been. The awards started life as an online only affair during the Covid outbreak, before launching as a small scale in real life event and growing year on year to the point where we’re now selling out this fine, historic venue.”

He added: “Congratulations to all of our finalists. Many submissions did not make it through to the final stage, and getting to this point is no mean feat. Checkout-free stores, automated supply chains, immersive experiences, on-demand delivery, next generation loyalty offerings, inclusive retail, green technology. We’ve got all the cool stuff covered this evening.”

“But just importantly we’ve got lots of great examples of companies taking innovative tech and making it usable in everyday operations - resulting in more efficiency and profitability in all areas.”

Congratulations to our 2024 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Lucy Porter, and all those who attended November's gathering. 

For further information on the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards, please fill in the below form and we will get back to you asap.