Merger Talk: Retail & Trading

In this month’s Merger Talk, Deborah Gould, Retail & Trading Director at Rennie Grove Peace Hospice Care, talks to us about what the merger means for Retail.

How many shops do you now have?
“We now have a total of 32 shops as a combined organisation – 26 Rennie Grove shops and 9 Peace Hospice Care shops. These continue to be a vital source of income and will operate under their existing brands initially, however we are rolling out a refit gradually across all shops, ensuring they meet the local community needs, whether as a ReLoved Boutique, a Community Hub shop or a ReValued shop.

You can visit our ReLoved Boutiques in Beaconsfield, Berkhamsted and Chalfont St Giles, our Community Hub shops in Borehamwood and Warners End, Hemel Hempstead, and for the real bargain hunters, our ReValued shops in Watford, Harpenden, Chesham and Marlow Centre in Hemel Hempstead. We are very excited about this new venture, and also excited about the sales results to date.”

How have you merged the two networks of shops?
“We have integrated our logistical support, standardised processes across the board and have and have combined our ecommerce functions to one location, in Berkhamsted, where our Retail & Trading hub is based.”

How can I shop online with you?
“We list, package and send items for eBay in one joint location, however we are still continuing to use both the original Rennie Grove and Peace Hospice Care eBay stores. There is always a huge range of items on our eBay stores from designer goods to collectibles.”

Does all money raised in shop sales now go to one place?
“At this stage in our merger integration, money raised in Peace Hospice Care shops will continue to go to Peace Hospice Care, and funds raised through sales in Rennie Grove shops will go to Rennie Grove. When our merger integration is complete, sales in our shops and online will be directed to the new, joint, organisation, Rennie Grove Peace.”