Bargain hunters flock to charity store on Black Friday

More than 100 bargain hunters flocked to a discount charity store on Black Friday.

Dozens of people braved the cold to snap up bargains at Newlife in Cannock.

Some shoppers began queueing before 6am - more than an hour before the store's opening time at 7am.

This was so they could bag products which had prices slashed by 80 per cent.

All the money from sales goes towards disabled children.

Within 30 minutes of opening, the store had to bring in more shopping bags and items from a nearby store due to high demand.

The first in the queue was Edward Fosu, 39, from Cannock, who bought a selection of clothes.

He said: "I have bought a few t-shirts. I go to Ghana quite a lot on a yearly basis so I will take them as presents for family and friends.

"I live locally and I do get emailed any changes to the store. I wanted to pick up a bargain today. I was first in the queue, there was no messing about. I knew exactly what I wanted.

"I think Black Friday is good. It gets people together, they spend a bit of money and pick up bargains as well."

Sending clothes to people abroad was a theme for customers.

Akhtar Pervaiz, 57, of Shelfield, Walsall, spent more than £100 on children's clothes which he will send in boxes to Pakistan.

He said: "I bought lots of children's clothes. I buy cheap items and send it away. I box it up for kids in Pakistan.

"The money from the sales goes to charity also which is great to see. I think I spent about £132 in total.

The range of items on sale ranged from purses and handbags to designer clothes.

Shoppers were given blue bags upon entrance to fill with their discounted items of choice.

The store is different to general retailers in that all of the proceeds goes to charity.

Newlife, which has six stores around the country, specialises in de-branded fashion items from major retailers.

Sheila Brown OBE, who co-founded the company nearly 30 years ago with her husband, said: "I think Black Friday is a great day for disabled children.

"At Newlife, all of the profits that we make from our stores is used to buy equipment for disabled children.

"So it is great for disabled kids because people are getting a great bargain and all the profits are meaning life-changing equipment for disabled and terminally ill children.

"All of these people who are shopping for a great bargain are at the same time doing a massive piece of work to help disabled kids and their families.

"The other thing is everything we sell has been written out of the business by various leading retailers.

"This is stock that they have no use for anymore. And if we weren't bringing it through to the customer it would be disposed of. Now that is an environmental problem for us all and it will just build up.

"Everything here hasn't come from individuals but major retailers on the high street, and brand owners that have donated stock, so we can help more disabled children in the UK.

"It is great for the environment, great for the children, and shoppers love it. We do this event every year and it is great fun. There is always a good atmosphere.

"I think some retailers have had pushing and shoving and people being dangerous. It is not like that at Newlife, people come with a good mood on. It is that social impact."

Newlife was launched in 1993 as a trading company. It formed on the back of charity The Birth Defects Foundation, which launched in 1991, with the aim of supporting research related to birth defects.

Since then the company has grown, all in the name of charity.

For more information, visit newlifecharity.co.uk