Savers
Corporate brand
UnclaimedAn international thrift-store retailer that sells donated and second-hand clothing, household goods, books, and other merchandise through the Savers, Value Village, Village des Valeurs, and Unique banners.
Last updated August 31, 2026
Overview
Savers is a for-profit second-hand retail company headquartered in Bellevue, Washington. Founded by Bill Ellison in 1954 in San Francisco, the business developed from a small thrift-store operation into an international network operating under several regional names. Stores use the Savers name in many parts of the United States and in Australia, while Value Village is used in the Pacific Northwest, the Baltimore metropolitan area, and most of Canada. Quebec stores generally operate as Village des Valeurs, and locations in Chicago and some parts of the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area use the Unique name. The company’s operating model differs from that of a conventional charity shop. Local nonprofit organizations collect donated clothing, household goods, books, and other items and provide them to Savers. Savers pays those organizations for donated goods in bulk, whether or not every item is ultimately placed on a store sales floor. The retailer then sorts, prices, displays, and sells merchandise through its stores. Goods that cannot be sold are directed toward recycling or other secondary markets where possible, and merchandise that remains unsold may be removed to make room for new inventory. Savers expanded beyond California during the 1960s, when it operated stores under names including Value Village and Thrift Village in California, Oregon, and Washington. Its headquarters moved to Bellevue in 1970. The company entered Canada in 1980 with a Vancouver store and opened its first Australian store in Brunswick, Victoria, in 1997. Over time, the business became known for combining value-oriented retail with a high-volume reuse and recycling model. Ownership changed several times as private-equity investors acquired stakes. Berkshire Partners purchased a 50 percent interest in 2000, Freeman Spogli & Co. became the majority owner in 2006, and Leonard Green & Partners and TPG Capital acquired Freeman Spogli’s interest in 2012. A restructuring in 2019 transferred ownership to Ares Management and Crescent Capital Group. Ares later acquired Crescent’s stake and retained a substantial ownership position when Savers Value Village Inc. became publicly traded through an initial public offering in June 2023. The brand’s value proposition centers on affordable second-hand merchandise, frequent inventory turnover, and the possibility of finding distinctive or previously owned goods. Its nonprofit partnerships provide organizations with an alternative fundraising channel, while the retailer’s reuse and recycling operations seek to divert merchandise from disposal. The model has also generated criticism, particularly concerning the amount paid to nonprofit partners, the way donation relationships are communicated to shoppers, product pricing, self-checkout adoption, and the handling of safety risks in donated goods. Savers remains an active international thrift retailer with a large store network across North America and Australia.
History
Savers was founded in 1954 by Bill Ellison in a former movie theater in San Francisco’s Mission District. The early business operated as a thrift retailer, selling donated and previously owned merchandise rather than newly manufactured goods. By 1970, the company had grown to six stores in California, Oregon, and Washington. Those stores used several names, including Savers-related regional identities such as Value Village and Thrift Village. In 1970, the company moved its headquarters to Bellevue, Washington, a location it has retained as its corporate base. The company’s expansion became increasingly regional and international. Savers opened its first Canadian store in Vancouver in 1980. In Canada, the Value Village identity became prominent, while stores in Quebec adopted the French-language name Village des Valeurs. The first Australian Savers store opened in Brunswick, Victoria, in October 1997. In the United States, most locations use Savers, although Value Village and Unique are used in selected markets. This multi-banner structure allowed the business to preserve local recognition while operating a common thrift-retail model. Under Ellison’s leadership, the company developed a model based on commercial resale of donated goods obtained through nonprofit partnerships. Nonprofit organizations collect merchandise and transfer it to Savers, which pays them under bulk purchasing arrangements. Savers sorts the goods and places suitable items in stores for sale. Merchandise that cannot be sold is directed toward recycling or other secondary outlets where possible. The model gives charities an income stream while allowing Savers to maintain a large and continuously changing inventory. Ellison remained chairman until 2000 and died in 2008. In 2000, Berkshire Partners acquired a 50 percent stake. Freeman Spogli & Co. became the majority owner in 2006, and Leonard Green & Partners and TPG Capital purchased Freeman Spogli’s interest in 2012. These transactions reflected the company’s development as a large, professionally managed thrift retailer rather than a small chain of independent charity shops. Savers faced increasing scrutiny over how it presented nonprofit relationships to the public. In 2015, the Minnesota Attorney General filed suit alleging that the company’s fundraising communications were misleading and that partner charities received only a small amount relative to the value of donated goods. Savers settled the Minnesota matter, agreeing to increased transparency and payments to affected nonprofit partners. A related legal action involved the Epilepsy Foundation’s oversight of its contract with Savers. The controversy highlighted the distinction between a for-profit retailer that purchases donated goods and a charitable organization that operates a donation-funded store. The company later entered a major financial restructuring. In March 2019, ownership was transferred to Ares Management and Crescent Capital Group. Ares acquired Crescent’s interest in 2021. Savers Value Village Inc. subsequently completed an initial public offering on June 29, 2023, while Ares retained a controlling ownership position. Operationally, the company has emphasized high-volume resale, nonprofit purchasing relationships, and waste reduction. It has used recycling channels for unsold or non-resellable items and discontinued plastic shopping bags in its stores by the end of 2018. At the same time, stores have faced criticism over prices, self-checkout, the growth of higher-priced boutique sections, and the safety of donated goods. Despite those disputes, Savers remains an active thrift retailer operating across the United States, Canada, and Australia under a family of related banners.
- 2023
Initial public offering
[1]Savers Value Village Inc. becomes publicly traded through an initial public offering on June 29.
- 2021
Ares consolidates ownership
[1]Ares Management acquires Crescent Capital Group’s stake.
- 2019
Ownership restructuring
[1]A restructuring transfers ownership to Ares Management and Crescent Capital Group.
- 2018
Plastic shopping bags discontinued
[1]The company has discontinued the use of plastic bags in its stores by the end of the year.
- 2012
Leonard Green and TPG acquire Freeman Spogli’s interest
[1]Leonard Green & Partners and TPG Capital buy out Freeman Spogli’s shares.
- 2006
Freeman Spogli becomes majority owner
[1]Freeman Spogli & Co. takes majority ownership of Savers.
- 2000
Berkshire Partners acquires a stake
[1]Berkshire Partners purchases a 50 percent interest in the company.
- 1997
First Australian store opens
[1]The first Australian store opens in Brunswick, Victoria, in October.
- 1980
Canadian expansion begins
[1]Savers opens its first Canadian store in Vancouver.
- 1970
Headquarters move to Bellevue
[1]The company relocates its headquarters to Bellevue, Washington, after expanding to six stores in the western United States.
Showing the 10 most recent.
Products and positioning
Value-oriented second-hand retail supported by nonprofit donation partnerships, rapid merchandise turnover, and reuse and recycling of donated goods.
Apparel
Second-hand clothing
Used clothing is the company’s core merchandise category. Stores sort donated garments by type, condition, size, and style, then offer them at value-oriented prices. Inventory changes frequently because supply depends on donations and local collection activity.
Home goods
Household goods
Savers stores sell donated kitchenware, decorations, small appliances, linens, furniture, and other household merchandise when items meet resale requirements. The assortment varies substantially by store and donation flow.
Media and leisure
Books, toys, and games
Books, toys, board games, puzzles, and related leisure goods form an additional part of the thrift assortment. These products are inspected and priced for resale, although used merchandise can present safety or completeness issues.
Circular retail operations
Recycling and secondary-market goods
Items that cannot be sold, or that remain unsold for too long, may be routed to recycling or other buyers. This part of the operating model is intended to recover value from donated merchandise and reduce the amount sent to the waste stream.
Controversies
2019
Washington charity-representation litigation
A trial judge found that Savers had misled the public into thinking it was a charity. The ruling was overturned by a state appeals court, while later proceedings addressed the company’s First Amendment rights and the state’s responsibility for legal expenses.
2019
Reported needlestick injury at Value Village
A customer reported being injured by a needle while trying on a used boot at a Value Village store and was advised to obtain blood tests.
2018
Needle and glue found in used board game
A family in British Columbia reported finding a hypodermic needle and partially used glue tubes inside a used board game bought at Value Village.
2015
Minnesota nonprofit-partnership lawsuit
The Minnesota Attorney General alleged that Savers’ public presentation of its nonprofit relationships was misleading and that charities received limited compensation from donated goods. The company settled, accepted greater transparency measures, and paid compensation to partner charities.
Criticism of Canadian pricing practices
Canadian shoppers and commentators criticized some Value Village prices as higher than comparable new merchandise and objected to self-checkout, boutique formats, and rising second-hand prices.
Brand decisions
2023
Complete initial public offeringOtherBackground
After Ares consolidated ownership, Savers Value Village pursued a public-market listing.
Action taken
The company completed an initial public offering on June 29, 2023.
Aftermath
Ares retained a substantial controlling ownership position after the listing.
2019
Restructure ownership under Ares and CrescentM&ABackground
Savers underwent a restructuring after a period of private-equity ownership by several investment firms.
Action taken
Ownership was transferred to Ares Management and Crescent Capital Group.
Aftermath
Ares later acquired Crescent’s stake and remained the controlling owner when the company went public.
2018
End use of plastic shopping bagsStrategyBackground
The company’s reuse-oriented positioning created pressure to reduce disposable retail packaging.
Action taken
Savers discontinued plastic shopping bags in its stores by the end of 2018.
Aftermath
The change became part of the company’s broader waste-reduction and circular-retail narrative.
Recent events
- 2023
Savers Value Village completes initial public offering[1]
Other
Savers Value Village Inc. became publicly traded through an initial public offering while Ares Management retained a large ownership stake.
- 2021
Ares Management consolidates ownership of Savers[1]
M&A
Ares Management acquired Crescent Capital Group’s interest, becoming the company’s controlling private-equity owner.
- 2019
Savers reaches ownership restructuring agreement[1]
M&A
Savers agreed to a restructuring that transferred ownership of the company to private-equity firms Ares Management and Crescent Capital Group.
Savers received UK coronavirus job-retention support during lockdown[2]
Other · Regulation
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Savers stores remained open, but store footfall reportedly fell by 60% during lockdown. The business received £2.3 million through the UK Government's Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
Savers continued store expansion after the pandemic[2]
Other
Reference material reports that Savers opened new stores during 2022 and 2023 and had approximately 500 stores by early 2025, with plans for more than 30 further locations focused on south-east England.
Sources2 sources
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