IMAGE: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Sales and demand have jumped at Habitat for Humanity Canada’s second-hand retail locations in New Brunswick but the organization says there are no set-in-stone plans to open any more ReStores.

“ReStore is one of our fundraising tools and, therefore, we are considering the options of growing sales in existing stores with the potential of adding stores – but have no immediate solid plans,” said Perry Kendall, the CEO of Habitat For Humanity’s Fredericton chapter.

ReStore sales in Moncton and Fredericton are up 30 percent over the previous year and in Saint John sales are up between 25 and 30 percent.

“Over the past few years, people have chosen to do more home improvements, perhaps spending more time in their space, and we are benefitting from that as well. We’re seeing an increase in demand, no question, with people looking for a deal on everything from furniture and home décor to building materials as they are trying to do improvements to their home on a tight budget,” noted Kendall.

“That’s compared to last year, which was, in the case of Fredericton and Moncton, the best year to date. At this point, we’re very much at the investigation stage so we don’t have any immediate plans of adding anymore ReStores at this point.”

Habitat for Humanity, a non-profit with a presence in every province and territory, specializes in building affordable homes through community partnerships with volunteers and donors. Part of the process involves the recipients of the homes agreeing to affordable mortgages and volunteering their time to help with the construction through 500 hours of “sweat equity.”

“It’s certainly excellent and very helpful, being one of our key fundraising tools, to see that growth,” said Kendall of the ReStore demand growth. Kendall told Huddle that Habitat is “very much on a growth plan” in New Brunswick, for the next few years.

“We are in the midst of an affordable housing crisis and we absolutely want to do all we can to help as many families as possible,” he said.

ReStore’s national manager, Daryl Morrison, said in an interview with Retail Insider that the rising trend of people turning to second-hand retailers may fuel a potential growth spurt for the non-profit’s retail arm. That fuelled speculation that more ReStores could be opening.

Revenue generated at ReStores supports Habitat for Humanity’s efforts across Canada. ReStore locations heavily rely on donations to generate that revenue. Habitat also relies on fundraising to support its many initiatives.

About a third of donations to ReStores come from local businesses and contractors. The other two-thirds come from individual homeowners and Habitat For Humanity’s national partners, from other stores and distribution centers across Canada, and shipped from Ontario.

Kendall said donations include merchandise and end-of-line products, or items removed after renovations. He noted many of the New Brunswick ReStore locations’ most recent donations have come from contractors – a testament to the construction boom seen in New Brunswick.

While growth has been steady over the last few years, Kendall does expect it to eventually plateau in New Brunswick.

“There is still further growth to come and whether that’s going to in the locations we are today or whether we expand to other parts of the province is yet to be seen,” he said.

In New Brunswick, Habitat’s current projects include a two-duplex building in Fredericton, a single-family home in Nictau, and a single-family home in Edmundston.

“We are soon to be formally announcing an interesting project involving a single-family home in Fredericton and finalizing details on a home being built in Moncton,” noted Kendall.

In 2021, Habitat for Humanity Canada helped 857 people become new homeowners across Canada and built five new homes in New Brunswick.

Founded in 1985, Habitat for Humanity Canada has 49 locations across the country. There are 110 ReStore locations across Canada and more than 1,000 across the globe.

Sam Macdonald is a Reporter for Huddle Today, a content-sharing partner of Acadia Broadcasting.