A STORE selling high street brands at discounted prices has opened in Newport.
Midlands-based Newlife opened its doors to customers in what is its first outlet in Wales on Friday February 18.
Although the opening may have slipped under the radar a bit, with the area battling wind and rain thanks to Storm Eunice, the store hopes to make its mark on the city’s shopping scene.
Located inside the former Lidl supermarket in Unit 1 of Newport West Retail Park, it sells goods from just £2.99, including many more common high street brands.
Additionally, all sales directly benefit charity, with Newlife being a registered charity that helps children with disabilities and supports their families.
The Newlife store in Newport
Money raised from sales of the Newport store and their eight others – mainly in the West Midlands – will be used for specialist equipment and support for disabled and terminally ill children and their families across the UK .
But that doesn’t mean the Newlife store is a charity store like so many others.
Unlike the traditional charity retailer, they do not accept donations from the public.
Shoes inside Newlife store
Instead, the company has made deals with major retailers to sell their end-of-line products, customer returns, and products with minor defects.
Essentially, the store is filled with items that would otherwise go to landfill.
And when Argus visited Newlife for a pre-opening preview, it was clear there were some great bargains to be had, with clothing and accessories helpfully separated by gender and size.
Prior to the opening, store bosses claimed they were “a unique type of retailer”.
Opening times, fashion ranges, etc.
Newlife Newport offers a wide range of clothing for men, women and teenagers and is open from 9.30am to 6pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
There are also late nights until 7 p.m. on Thursdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Clothes for sale in store
All original labels are removed and customers can find a mix of ranges and styles across the high street.
New products are also added daily to the sales floor.
What have we said about the new store?
Andrew Murphy-Hayes, Head of Retail Stores at Newlife, said: “It is great to finally open the doors to our customers at Newlife Newport – and we are so proud that this is our first store in Wales.
The store has been very well received and we look forward to introducing everyone to all the benefits of shopping here.
“Not only is Newlife a fabulous place to spot the kind of bargains you can’t wait to tell your friends about, but we also help our customers feel really good about shopping here because they know they’re also helping disabled and terminally ill children and their families receive the specialized equipment they need, such as wheelchairs, beds and seats, which they cannot always access quickly – if at all – through their local health and social services.
“As Newlife also prevents a large number of items from going to landfill, shopping with us extends the life cycle of purchases, which is of course also good for the environment.”
As well as equipment grants, Newlife’s emergency equipment loan service provides equipment to families in crisis within 72 hours, anywhere in the UK.
Other services include loans of play therapy modules, filled with specialist toys, and a nurse-run helpline to provide experienced support.
More information about the charity can be found online here.
