All Aboard Charity Shops

What All Aboard Charity Shops does

All Aboard Charity Shops, legally All Aboard Shops Limited, is a UK-registered charity (Charity Number 1125462) founded in 1987 by Stella Lucas MBE. It operates a chain of 23 high-street charity shops (19 in Greater London and 4 across the rest of the UK) selling donated pre-loved goods — clothing, homeware, bric-a-brac and small electronics — with proceeds distributed as grants to UK-registered charities. The charity is headquartered at Stella Lucas House in North Watford, which also serves as its warehouse and distribution centre. It runs a free home-and-office collection service across Greater London, Hertfordshire and Middlesex using an electric van fleet, and processes Gift Aid declarations that add 25% to donation value via HMRC reclaim. Beneficiary reach in 2024 spanned over 75 charities across health, welfare, education and community sectors, with documented environmental impact of approximately 6 tonnes of waste diverted from landfill weekly and 201,190 kg.CO2e/Tonne of carbon reduction in 2025.

The business model is a non-profit charity-retail operation with four revenue streams: retail sales of donated goods (primary), Gift Aid tax recovery (25% uplift on qualifying donations), monetary donations via JustGiving and legacy bequests, and grant distribution as outflow rather than revenue. Pricing is variable per item based on condition, with no fixed tiers and no public pricing disclosure. Distribution channels include physical shops, an eBay online storefront, the Charity Shop Gift Card marketplace, and the free collection service. The technology footprint is intentionally minimal — a Wix-based website, Wix-hosted media assets, and organic social channels on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn — with no proprietary platform, no mobile app, no APIs, and no documented integrations.

Governance rests with a Board of Trustees chaired by David Ordman, with executive leadership provided by CEO Alan Haynes (appointed 2016, with 40+ years retail experience spanning Save the Children and Tesco), supported by Head of Finance & Company Secretary Bernice Haynes, Head of HR Sam Stuart (joined September 2025), Head of Retail Daniela Petrou, and Marketing/Comms Manager Evelyn Andresier. The paid workforce of 100+ shop staff and an executive team is supplemented by over 230 volunteers across retail, collections, administration and governance functions, making the volunteer model a core operational pillar rather than a peripheral feature. The charity maintains cross-communal partnerships including the Board of Deputies of British Jews (which stood surety at the bank at founding), Jewish Care, Jewish Volunteer Network, the Charity Shop Gift Card, Jewish Child's Day and recycling partners for carbon measurement.

Name

All Aboard Charity Shops

Legal name

All Aboard Shops Limited

Website

https://allaboardshops.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Short description

All Aboard Charity Shops is a UK-registered charity that operates 23 high-street shops selling donated goods across Greater London and the UK, using retail proceeds to award grants to over 75 UK-registered charities in health, welfare, education and community sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Watford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices24 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Retail Sales of Donated Goods: Sale of donated goods including clothes, homeware, bric-a-brac and small electronics in charity shops. This is the primary revenue stream that funds grants to supported charities.
2. Gift Aid Scheme: For UK taxpayers, donations of pre-loved goods can be Gift Aided. All Aboard claims an extra 25p from HMRC for every £1 raised from sale of donated items, increasing donation value by 25%.
3. Monetary Donations: Monetary donations received through JustGiving page, cash donations at shops, and legacy bequests in wills.
4. Grants to Partner Charities: Proceeds from shop sales are distributed as grants to UK registered charities supporting health, welfare, education and community projects.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

All Aboard Charity Shops operates 23 charity shops across Greater London and the UK that sell donated clothing, homeware, bric-a-brac and small electronics to individual consumers. Net proceeds, after operating costs, are distributed as grants to UK-registered charities. The organisation also provides a free home and office donation collection service using electric vans and processes Gift Aid on donated goods to maximise their value.

Product overview

All Aboard Charity Shops operates a network of 23 charity retail shops selling donated goods (clothing, homeware, bric-a-brac, small electronics) alongside complementary services including a free home collection service, Gift Aid tax recovery scheme, and an online JustGiving donation portal. The organisation distributes grants to over 75 UK-registered charities through its grant programme and engages over 200 volunteers across its retail and operational functions. Additional offerings include the Charity Shop Gift Card for cross-charity-shop purchases.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Charity Retail Shops Network of 23 physical charity shops across Greater London and the wider UK selling donated clothing, homeware, bric-a-brac and small electronics to individual consumers at affordable second-hand prices.
• Home and Office Donation Collection Service Free pickup service using electric vans that collects donated goods from UK households and offices, lowering donor friction and increasing the volume of stock supplied to the charity shops.
• Charity Grant Programme Grant-making programme that distributes net proceeds from retail operations to UK-registered charities, supporting their charitable activities.
• Gift Aid Scheme HMRC Gift Aid processing service that enables All Aboard to reclaim basic-rate tax on eligible donated goods, increasing the value of donations by approximately 25%.
• Volunteering Programme Structured volunteer programme engaging more than 230 volunteers across the charity's shops, supporting retail operations and community engagement.
• Online eBay Store Online retail storefront on eBay selling donated goods to a national online audience, complementing the physical charity shop network.
• Charity Shop Gift Card Gift card product accepted across a network of partner charity shops, providing an additional donation channel for All Aboard and partner charities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 6 tonnes of waste diverted from landfill weekly
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• JVN (Jewish Volunteer Network)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024JVN helped Michael secure a volunteering position at the All Aboard shop in Prestwich. JVN refers volunteers to All Aboard shops.
• Charity Shop Gift CardminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2024Partnership enabling purchase of gift cards through thecharityshopgiftcard.co.uk for use at All Aboard shops.
• Jewish Child's DayminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Jewish Child's Day boutique sale events held in partnership with All Aboard.
• Board of Deputies of British JewscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1987The Board of Deputies agreed to stand surety at the bank when Stella Lucas MBE launched the first shop in 1987. This cross-communal solidarity is subtly credited in the 'All Aboard' moniker. The Board of Deputies continues as a supported beneficiary charity.
• Jewish CarecoreOthers · 1 January 1987One of the original beneficiary charities when the first shop opened where the O2 centre is now on Finchley Road. Jewish Care continues to receive grants from All Aboard.
• AJEXminorOthers · 1 January 1987One of the original beneficiary charities when the first shop opened in 1987.
• Great Ormond Street HospitalminorOthers · 1 January 1987One of the original beneficiary charities when the first shop opened in 1987.
• Recycling PartnersminorOthersWorking with recycling partners to estimate carbon savings. Partners help divert textiles (579,034 kg), books/paper (61,313 kg), and glass/ceramics (3,749 kg) from landfill in 2025.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Age UK Shops: Age UK runs a national network of charity shops selling donated goods to fund programmes for older people. Comparable retail footprint, volunteer-led operations, and donation-based inventory model.
• Cancer Research UK Shops: Cancer Research UK runs a national chain of charity shops selling donated clothing and household goods. Directly comparable retail format, customer base, and donation-driven inventory model to All Aboard.
• Sue Ryder Shops: Sue Ryder operates around 130 charity shops across the UK selling donated goods to fund palliative and bereavement care. Same second-hand retail model, volunteer workforce, and high-street shop distribution.
• Save the Children UK Shops: Save the Children operates charity shops across the UK with donated-goods retail — same model as All Aboard. Alan Haynes, All Aboard's CEO, previously held a senior retail role at Save the Children, evidencing direct operational comparability.
• Mind Charity Shops: Mind operates around 160 charity shops across the UK selling donated goods. Same volunteer-driven retail model, donation collection, and grant-making structure as All Aboard.
• British Heart Foundation Shops: BHF operates around 700+ charity shops across the UK selling donated goods to fund medical research. Same model of reselling second-hand goods to generate charitable grant income, with comparable volunteer engagement and home collection services.
• Oxfam Shops: Oxfam operates the largest chain of charity shops in the UK, selling donated clothing, homeware, books and bric-a-brac. Directly comparable to All Aboard in retail model, donation collection, and grant-making through a parent charity structure.
• Barnardo's Shops: Barnardo's runs a network of over 600 UK charity shops selling donated clothing, books and homeware. Closely comparable to All Aboard in retail format, donation supply chain, and grant-distribution model.

Emerging players

• Jewish Care: Jewish Care is one of All Aboard's primary beneficiary charities and operates its own charity retail activities in the same London Jewish community. Partially overlapping donor base and geographic footprint rather than direct retail competition.
• Mary's Living & Giving Shops (Save the Children): Mary's Living & Giving is Save the Children's premium boutique charity shop sub-brand selling higher-end donated goods. Comparable second-hand retail concept, narrower geographic footprint than All Aboard.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/allaboardcharityshops
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/all-aboard-charity-shops
• Instagraminstagram.com/allaboardcharityshops

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about All Aboard Charity Shops