Six out of 10 people in Ireland would be thrilled to receive a charity shop gift this Christmas

• However, less than 3 in 10 shoppers plan on picking up a gift from charity shops this festive holiday

• More than 55% of respondents said that charity shops are an ideal place to pick up high quality and unique clothes

• 40% of shoppers think that when it comes to Christmas shopping, buying sustainably is one of the most important priorities, and it is increasing in importance

The hidden potential for Christmas gift bargains has been revealed in a new survey for Vision Ireland, the new name for NCBI, which operates 124 retail outlets across the country.

The survey of 1000 people, conducted by Bounce Insights for Vision Ireland, shows that almost 60% of respondents would be delighted to receive a pre-loved gift that was bought in a charity shop.  However, less than 30% said they would be browsing a charity shop in the lead up to Christmas, suggesting that many of us could miss out on some smart gifting solutions that are likely to be well-received by our loved ones.

The survey also suggests reasons why these gifts are so popular.  For instance, 59% of respondents see charity shops as a source of high quality and unique fashion items.  And shopping sustainably is also a great motivation – 40% of shoppers think that when it comes to Christmas shopping, buying sustainably is one of their most important priorities. And this is an increasing trend, with 28% seeing sustainability as even more important this Christmas versus last year.   Young adults aged 18-24 place the biggest importance on sustainability (50%), but surprisingly, the next highest group is the older generation 55+ (at 45%)

Commenting on the findings, Beverley Scallan, Chief Commercial Officer, Vision Ireland, said, “The survey reveals a surprising contradiction with shoppers in Ireland. While most of us would be delighted to receive a pre-loved gift from a charity shop, not as many of us are planning to buy a pre-loved gift to give to others, all the while saying that sustainability is a high priority for us this Christmas.  And so shopping at a Vision Ireland charity shop satisfies people’s aspirations to shop sustainably, while ensuring they’ll find pre-loved gifts that their loved ones will be delighted with.  What’s more, the survey shows that people recognise they are great places to find high quality, unique piece – not such a surprise, considering much of our stock is actually brand new, with the labels still on as well as designer brands that are only available otherwise in high end retail stores.

Scallan continued: “Vision Ireland charity shops sell around two million pieces of clothing, furniture and much else, which otherwise would be destined for the landfill. The stores, which are located across Ireland, handle about 1,850 tonnes of donations a year. Additionally, 90% of all donations are resold and the remainder is recycled. That works out to about 5,900 tonnes of C02 and about 10 billion litres of water a year saved by shopping for preloved items in Vision Ireland stores.

“When you consider the range of high quality pre-loved products available at charity shops such as Vision Ireland, it’s not surprising that people want to receive these items as gifts while ensuring that we are keeping the circular economy ticking over. This Christmas, it’s definitely worth popping in to see if you can pick up that special and unique gift you might be struggling to find elsewhere.”