Looking back on a year of Charity Retail Learning

As the year comes to a close, it’s a perfect moment to reflect on the energy, commitment, and sector‑wide collaboration that has shaped charity retail learning. Thousands of shop teams, managers, and leaders have invested in their development - strengthening confidence, improving performance, and driving meaningful change across the UK and beyond. It’s been a year defined by growth, innovation, and shared purpose.

As we wrap up an incredible year of learning, we want to thank every charity retailer who joined and grew with us. Wishing you a joyful Christmas and a bright start to the New Year from the entire Charity Retail Learning team.

What is Charity Retail Learning?

Charity Retail Learning is a partnership between The Charity Retail Academy and the Charity Retail Association providing online and face-to-face training to charity retailers. As two organisations dedicated to charity shops and retail, we saw an opportunity to come together to provide low cost, relevant and accessible learning opportunities – a one-stop shop of learning opportunities designed by and for charity retailers.

Courses cover a range of subjects including health & safety, volunteering, customer service, ecommerce and other charity retail essentials.

Most courses are short, interactive online sessions that learners can work through on a laptop, tablet or phone, making them really accessible for staff and volunteers – including shop teams. We also deliver live webinars on a range of topics via Zoom and longer face-to-face sessions either for individual teams or groups made up from multiple organisations.