Oxfam Shops

Oxfam Shops are the UK high-street and online retail operation associated with Oxfam GB, the UK affiliate of the international Oxfam confederation. Oxfam GB describes its broader mission as working with communities and partners to overcome poverty by addressing the injustices and inequalities that fuel it. The shops connect that charitable mission with retail and public participation: people can shop for pre-loved items, donate goods, and volunteer. The first permanent Oxfam charity shop opened on Broad Street in Oxford in 1947. Oxfam GB’s current Second Hand September campaign presents second-hand shopping and donations as ways to reduce waste and support a fairer future. Its examples include pre-loved clothing and vintage items, alongside encouraging reuse and upcycling. The supplied sources also identify Oxfam online shopping, although they do not specify a full product catalogue or the number and locations of shops. Oxfam itself was established in 1942. Oxfam GB is one of 22 affiliates in the Oxfam confederation, which works in more than 70 countries; those figures describe the wider organisation, not the geographic footprint of Oxfam Shops. The available sources identify Oxfam GB as the organisation behind the shops but do not provide a separate corporate owner, founder, headquarters, or current shop leadership. Oxfam Shops are active, and the organisation continues to promote shopping and donating through its shops as ways to contribute to its charitable work.

Oxfam Shops developed as the retail expression of Oxfam’s charitable work in the United Kingdom. Oxfam itself was established in 1942. According to Oxfam GB’s account of Second Hand September, the first permanent charity shop on any British high street was an Oxfam shop on Broad Street in Oxford, which opened in 1947. The shop’s origin is presented as a practical way to put donated items to use and connect local retail activity with charitable purposes. Oxfam’s later retail identity has remained closely associated with second-hand goods and public participation. Oxfam GB invites people to shop and donate through its shops and identifies volunteering as another way to support its work. Its Second Hand September campaign encourages choosing pre-loved clothing and donating items no longer needed. The campaign also speaks to reuse and upcycling, framing second-hand shopping as a way to reduce the environmental impact of clothing consumption while helping fund Oxfam’s work. The shops sit within the larger Oxfam GB organisation. Oxfam GB describes itself as one of 22 affiliates in the Oxfam confederation, whose work extends across more than 70 countries. These are facts about the wider Oxfam organisation, not evidence that the shops themselves operate in all those countries. Oxfam GB’s present-day materials continue to direct supporters to shop online, donate to a shop, and get involved. The supplied sources do not specify a complete chronology of the retail network, its individual outlets, or its current management structure.

• 1947

  First permanent Oxfam charity shop opens in Oxford

• 1942

  Oxfam established

A charity retail operation that promotes second-hand shopping and reuse while supporting Oxfam GB’s work to tackle poverty and inequality.

• Pre-loved clothing and vintage items

  Oxfam GB promotes second-hand shopping through its shops and online, with campaign examples including pre-loved clothing and vintage items.

• Donated second-hand goods

  Oxfam GB invites people to donate goods to its shops.

1. 1Oxfam GB | leading UK charity fighting global povertyoxfam.org.uk
2. 2Second Hand September 2026 | Oxfam GBoxfam.org.uk
3. 3About us | Oxfam GBoxfam.org.uk
4. 4Frequently asked questions | Oxfam GBoxfam.org.uk