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Vicki Burnett – Senior Consultant

Vicki’s charity retail experience began as a teenager in St Luke’s Hospice’s first shop in 1983 in her home town of Sheffield.

Following a BA (Hons) degree in Retail Marketing she returned to use her newly acquired skills and knowledge in the charity sector, starting as a volunteer with Oxfam. This led to an 8 year journey with the charity, firstly as a Deputy Shop Manager then Furniture and Vintage Shop Manager in Leeds, followed by District Retail Manager for South Yorkshire, managing paid and volunteer Shop Managers to raise £1m per annum. As part of her role, Vicki helped establish NoLogo – an upcycling project in Leeds city centre – one of the first of its kind in the charity retail sector.

As Volunteer Services Manager for Crisis, Vicki provided strategic direction for the organisation’s volunteer programme, as well as managing the recruitment, training and deployment of over 2,500 volunteers who ran 5 Christmas shelters for homeless people.

In 1999 Vicki became Head of Retail for St Gemma’s Hospice. She moved the chain from 4 to 21 shops, which raised a total of over £13 million for the hospice. St Gemma’s twice won Shop Team of the Year and were runners up in the Innovation Award for their quarterly vintage fairs.

Vicki next headed up the retail and trading operation for Cats Protection, turning it from a disparate and unsupported group of 70 shops to a functioning chain that went onto win Outstanding Charity Retailer in 2016 & 2017

As Director of Income Generation at Martin House Children’s Hospice, Vicki worked across the whole hospice team to redesign the shops to tell the story of the charity on the high street. She led the team which achieved huge growth in donated sales, transformed the Christmas card operation, won Shop of the Year and ran a pop-up and upcycling project.

Vicki also served on the board of the Charity Retail Association, including time as Vice Chair and Chair.

She is an experienced trainer and speaker, delivering workshops and plenary sessions at a wide range of sector events.

Now based in Scotland, she is delighted to be working with Jayne and the Charity Retail Consultancy to support and inspire the sector.

In her spare time, she volunteers at her local Oxfam shop in Oban, Chairs her local Development Trust, and serves on the Corporate Members’ Advisory Group for the Charity Retail Association

You can reach Vicki on 07985574904 or at vicki@thecharityretailconsultancy.co.uk

Working with Vicki was a very positive experience. She took the time to understand our unique needs and as a consequence I felt she understood where we were coming from and where we wanted to be. We received tailored advice to help improve, and monitor, both our retail and visitor engagement offer. It was also useful to know what we were doing right and how we could build on this for the future.

Hebridean Whale & Dolphin Trust, Pauline Massey, Visitor Centre Manager

The Charity Retail Consultancy took the time to understand our business, our people and the values that underpin everything we do. As part of their review of our donated stock processes, they engaged with staff and volunteers across the organisation. Their approachable and inclusive style encouraged open, honest and constructive discussions, ensuring that people felt heard and involved in the process. This grassroots-up approach was invaluable in informing their findings and building engagement across the business.

The review helped us identify opportunities to improve how we process donated stock and provided a valuable foundation for selecting a new EPOS system. The consultants guided us through what can be a complex process, helping us cut through the noise, distinguish between what we really needed and what was simply nice to have, and focus on what mattered most to our organisation.

Their knowledge, insight and practical guidance gave us the confidence to make an informed decision based on the facts, our business needs and, importantly, our values. We would highly recommend the Charity Retail Consultancy to any organisation looking to strengthen its retail operation and make informed decisions that are right for its business.

Wakefield Hospice, Matt Walker-Berry, Head of Retail