Meanwhile, Charity Super.Mkt is fitting out and filling spaces at the speed of Light… Don’t stop us now!

We can’t bear to see an empty retail unit sitting in a prime location. Not when we know it could be full of colour, rails of great clothes and people leaving happy, all while raising serious funds for charity, reducing waste and protecting the planet. That’s where Charity Super.Mkt comes in.

“Meanwhile” space shouldn’t mean lifeless space. It should mean opportunity. An opportunity to bring energy back to a high street, to keep clothing in circulation and to prove that vacant retail can deliver real environmental and social value - even if only for a few short weeks. Over the past two years, we’ve quietly become specialists in moving fast when it comes to our store.

From Bond Street to 60-hour openings, our ‘Meanwhile’ presence gives us the need for speed! 

In 2024, as Fenwick prepared to exit Bond Street, they generously made their ground floor available to us for just 22 days. It was a rare opportunity, a flagship address with a very tight timeframe (meaning an even shorter set-up time), and exactly the kind of challenge we relish.

We had four days to transform the space. In that time, the team built out a fully functioning Charity Super.Mkt, welcoming an incredible line-up of partners including Cancer Research UK, Traid, Shelter and Havens Hospices. The doors opened, the rails filled, and for sixteen days we traded at full pace, delivering our strongest consecutive run of sales to date. Then, just as quickly, we packed it all down and exited in a single day.

Experiences like Bond Street sharpened something in us. Like a Formula One pit crew, we’ve refined the art of precision turnarounds, building, trading and closing with focus and efficiency. 

That preparation paid off again only a week ago at Old Spitalfields Market. A recently vacated unit had become available for a short window before new permanent tenants were due to begin their fit-out. We collected the keys on a Wednesday morning.

Our fit-out duo, Charlotte and Seb, got straight to work. Within two days, the space had been completely transformed. In keeping with our circular ethos, they reused existing shop fittings, repurposed stockroom shelving, resized old signage and even constructed fitting rooms from reclaimed materials found on site. Almost everything was reworked rather than bought new - a build guided by ingenuity as much as speed.

While the physical space took shape, our warehouse team was preparing stock at pace. As soon as the floor was ready, deliveries arrived and rails began to fill. Our EPOS partners at MicroMkt installed and configured the tills. Havens Hospices began sorting and steaming in the stockroom. Retail Manager Sepideh assembled a sales team in record time, pulling together experienced hands who worked late to get everything floor-ready. Meanwhile, Cara (comms) began letting our community know something new was coming.

Sixty hours after collecting the keys, Charity Super.Mkt Old Spitalfields opened its doors. By the end of that first trading day, just seven hours later, more than 200 quality garments had found new homes. Pieces that might otherwise have ended up in landfill were back in circulation, worn and valued again.

The team thrives on the challenge. Give us two or three days and an empty unit, and we’ll give you a store that draws a crowd, generates revenue and delivers measurable environmental and social impact.

Why Meanwhile Works

By activating temporary vacant units, we bring energy, colour and serious footfall to retail destinations that might otherwise sit dormant. Each week we attract thousands of visitors; sustainable fashion lovers, students, local communities and entirely new audiences who may not have previously engaged with that location. We don’t simply fill space; we create destinations. We give people a reason to visit, to stay longer and to return.

Every store raises significant funds for our charity partners while helping them reach fashion-savvy customers in locations where charity retail doesn’t traditionally appear. We provide valuable insight into what sells, at what price and how quickly, helping charities refine their retail strategies beyond the pop-up itself.

At the same time, we keep tonnes of clothing in circulation, reduce textile waste and champion circular fashion in a way that feels modern, accessible and commercially robust.

We also create employment quickly, from shop-floor teams to logistics, fit-out crews and creatives, hiring locally and moving at speed.

The Meanwhile Advantage

Tackling empty spaces

We do the heavy lifting. We bring the stock, the staff, the fit-out expertise, the technology, the marketing and the momentum. In a matter of days, we turn empty units into revenue-generating, footfall-driving spaces.

This model only works with forward-thinking landlords and agents who recognise that an active storefront is always more valuable than a boarded-up window. Even a short gap between tenants represents an opportunity, not just commercially, but socially and environmentally too.

Leaving a unit empty for weeks is wasteful. A rapid meanwhile response team can activate it almost immediately, delivering positive impact, strong trading performance and meaningful PR before the next long-term tenant begins their fit-out.

If you have a space between occupiers (even for a couple of weeks) let’s talk! 

It doesn’t take much to unlock it. And in return, we’ll bring the energy, the audience and the results to prove what’s possible.

Boosting employment

Charity Super.Mkt has also become an unexpected but powerful stopgap for graduates and early-career creatives. It gives them earning power while they apply for longer-term roles but it offers much more than that.

They leave with strong references, practical experience, confidence and the ability to think on their feet. They learn to adapt. They see what’s possible when people genuinely believe in “can do”. They witness trust and autonomy in action.

For many, it’s a springboard and the beginning of something bigger.

And at the heart of it all? Trust and autonomy. They’re the ingredients that make speed possible.