A well-known mainstay of British high streets has posted a £3.3m loss, which it says is not sustainable. It will be closing 150 shops in the coming months to ensure it “remains commercially sustainable” — you can read the full list below.

British Heart Foundation, the largest charity retailer in the UK, has just released its annual report and accounts and said it had made “lifesaving progress in a challenging year”. It said: “In 2025-26, British Heart Foundation responded with urgency and focus: protecting people’s hearts now while investing in the research, care and support that will save more lives in future.

“Our Annual Report and Accounts 2025-26 show the progress we’ve made across four priorities: advancing research, transforming care and support, inspiring income, and accelerating impact by strengthening our people, systems and technology.”

It said it “invested £103m in world-leading research” during the year, as well as £10m in the BHF Data Science Centre and contributing £5m to a global research programme on women’s heart health.

BHF’s accounts show that it generated a total income of £175.3m in the last financial year. Its main source of income comes from legacies, followed by its fundraising activities then income from sales in its shops and online. But it said: “Operating the largest charity retailer in the UK and the largest eBay charity retailer in the world remains a privilege, but like most nonfood retailers we continued to face challenging trading conditions in the UK this past year.

“As a result, retail fell to a £3.3m loss (in 2025 it made a £3.6m profit). This level of financial return is not sustainable, such that following a detailed review of our retail estate amid rising operating costs and changing customer habits, on June 4, 2026 proposals to close around 150 of our shops and stores over the next two financial years were announced. The changes are designed to ensure our retail network remains strong and sustainable. On the basis the proposals proceed, implementation will likely result in limited recovery in retail profitability over the next two years.”

In its recently released annual report, BHF said that on March 31, 2026, its portfolio of shops consisted of 651 shops (470 clothing shops and 181 home stores). Throughout the year, it opened 11 new outlets, relocated three, and closed 25 as part of its “ongoing optimisation strategy”.

It said: “Like many retailers, we are seeing rising costs and changing shopping and donation habits reshape the retail landscape. To ensure our retail income remains strong and sustainable for the long term, we need to adapt how we operate. In June 2026 we announced the proposed closure of 150 shops across our retail estate phased over two years to ensure we continue to generate the vital funds that power our lifesaving research.”

In June 2026, it released this list of stores that would be closing.

Announcing those closures in June, Dr Charmaine Griffiths, BHF chief executive, said: “Our shops mean so much to our colleagues, brilliant volunteers and communities across the UK. They are places where people come together to donate, shop and volunteer, helping to make a real difference to lives affected by cardiovascular disease

“We know this will be a difficult time for our dedicated colleagues and volunteers in affected stores and emphasise our deep appreciation and gratitude for all they have done for BHF and the communities they serve.

“Like most retailers, we are facing an exceptionally challenging trading environment. Cardiovascular disease remains one of the UK’s biggest killers and our priority is funding research to save lives. We must take the difficult step to close some of our shops to sustain retail’s important contribution to funding BHF’s groundbreaking research.”