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Garden House Hospice Care has announced that its Threads pre-loved fashion shop in Churchgate, Hitchin will close, while the Threads brand will continue through a dedicated concession within the charity’s Hitchin Bancroft store.
Threads was launched two years ago as a distinctive standalone retail brand. Since opening, the team has worked hard to establish its identity, build a loyal following and create a different way for customers to support Garden House Hospice Care through pre-loved fashion.
However, despite significant effort to grow the brand and improve the commercial performance of the shop, the standalone store is not financially viable in its current format.
Our shops exist for one purpose: to generate a profit for Garden House Hospice Care so that more money can be directed to the care and support of patients, families and others in our community who need us. Where a shop is unable to do that sustainably, we have to make difficult decisions about how and where we operate.
Richard Wayment – Managing Director for Garden House Hospice Trading Company said: “Threads has created something genuinely different and we are incredibly proud of the brand, the following it has developed and the hard work of the staff and volunteers behind it. This decision is about the cost of operating a standalone shop, not about the value of the Threads idea or the commitment of the team.”
“By moving Threads into our Bancroft store, we can retain the brand and its unique product offer in a more commercially sustainable way. We also plan to keep engaging with the audience that has grown around Threads, including through pop-ups in the local area and at events.”
Garden House Hospice Care thanked everyone who has supported Threads over the past two years by shopping, donating, volunteering, sharing content and helping to build the brand.
The standalone Threads shop will continue trading until Wednesday 2nd September 2026.
After closure, supporters will be able to find Threads within the Bancroft shop and through future pop-up activity
