Round Retail: the social enterprise transforming second-hand fashion
The fashion resale industry has transformed over the last few years, and social enterprise, Round Retail, founded by Annie Hought, has played a central role in that evolution.
The East London native launched Round Retail in early 2023 with a mission to make second-hand shopping consumers’ first choice by offering a premium, in-person experience.
“I identified a gap in the market between luxury resale and charity shops. Customers are willing to buy items at a comparable price to high street stalwarts, such as Cos or Zara, but are seeking better quality. Round Retail allows consumers to move away from buying new but still provides a curated offering, and simultaneously funding an impactful, local charity,” she explained.
The statistics show that demand is there and increasing. Research from OC&C Strategy Consultants found that the second-hand market in the UK has increased to account for almost 25 per cent of all fashion transactions and the category is one of the main drivers of growth in volume in the clothing market with the sector set to account for around 10 per cent of total spend on fashion by 2029.
Hought’s decision to found Round Retail came about after working in the fashion industry for 10 years and realising that there was a dearth of sustainable clothing shopping options on the high street. “I wanted to shop second-hand, but found the only options were either extremely high-end, with an inflated price tag, or overcrowded charity shops flooded with low-quality, fast-fashion items,” she explained.
She was determined that her venture would create a measurable impact, which is why every single pre-owned item sold funds a local charity. “This means customers aren’t just buying second-hand, they’re buying into a movement: better fashion for people and planet,” said Hought.
The business model is simple: Round Retail takes pre-loved fashion from individuals and sells them on. All profits are split three ways – one-third to the person who donated the item, one-third retained by Round Retail to run its pop-ups, and the final third given to a local charity, depending on the location of the pop-up store.
At the same time, Hought needed to identify spaces for these pop-ups. She built a network of commercial partners eager to embed sustainability into their property portfolios. The model is a win-win; by utilising vacant retail units for positive impact initiatives, property companies can meet their environmental, social and governance goals while Hought gains access to a retail space. These relationships allowed Round Retail to open its latest pop-up in November in the heart of the City at One New Change on Cheapside.
One-third of the profits from the Cheapside pop-up will fund Providence Row, a City-based charity that works with homeless and vulnerably housed people in East London to help them lead independent and fulfilled lives.
The New Change pop-up is Round Retail’s 17th location, and Hought said the reaction so far has been overwhelmingly positive. She’s hoping that this pop-up will add to the environmental impact the social enterprise has made to date – saving over 5,000 kg of CO2 and raising over £18,000 for London charities.
Overall, 2025 has been an exciting year for Round Retail. It was one of the winners of the Investec Beyond Business programme. It was awarded £20,000 in funding, which Hought hopes to use to establish a permanent high-street presence that can rotate charity partners.
In the meantime, Round Retail’s pop-up is at One New Change until 25 January 2026.
For more information on the Investec Beyond Business Programme, check out Supporting social enterprises: Beyond Business programme
Important information: The views expressed are those of the contributors at the time of publication and do not necessarily represent the views of the firm and should not be taken as advice or recommendations.
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