THE children’s charity Barnardo’s has opened its largest North Wales store in Denbigh, and as temperatures soared, sold four fridges in a single day.

The new store, on Denbigh Retail Park, occupies a former Peacocks site and covers 6,000 sq ft, several times the size of a high street charity shop.

There was a queue to get in on the first day last Friday (June 16), with a non-stop stream of bargain hunters since.

Alongside the usual ranges of donated clothes, books and bric-a-brac are many new items on sale, ranging from homeware to garden furniture.

The white goods section has also so far proved popular.

Barnardo’s area business manager, Jared Simon, said: “The response to the store opening has been amazing.

“People are really surprised when they visit, it’s not what they are expecting from a charity shop. Alongside a massive selection of pre-loved goods, we have many ranges of new items.”

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Barnardo’s charity shop to open at Denbigh Retail Park

Store associate Shelley Roberts has been among the team preparing for the opening in the last 14 weeks.

She said: “It’s been an absolutely fabulous start. The customer feedback has been fantastic.

“People are saying it looks much more like a mainstream store than a charity shop and they find goods here they don’t expect.

“We sold so much garden furniture in the first few days that we’ve had to order more. Oak coffee tables have sold out and we certainly weren’t expecting four fridges to go in a single day!

“The response has been amazing, people have really taken to the shop and we are seeing some customers returning every day.

“I don’t think people expected to see so much good quality clothing and so many items with brand new tags. Children’s shoes have also proved really popular.”

The store will have seven paid employees and 17 people have volunteered.

Shelley, who has worked in charity retail for 20 years, says they would like to encourage many more volunteers from the community.

“We could easily take another 20. We are particularly keen to find a volunteer with an interest in books and other media to manage that section,” she said.

Barnardo’s welcomes volunteers of all ages, from young people working towards a Duke of Edinburgh Award to retirees.

More details about volunteering with Barnardo’s can be found on its website, or you can visit the store for a chat.