TWO charity shops sitting side-by-side in Bromsgrove town centre have reassured customers they will not be closing despite their buildings being up for auction.

The freeholds for the Primrose Hospice shop and the Blue Cross animal charity store in Bromsgrove's High Street are being auctioned by Bond Wolfe Auctions on Wednesday, October 28.

The Advertiser understands the freeholds were previously owned by the same business but are now up for sale separately.

However, both buildings come with a caveat that the successful bidder(s) must lease the properties back to the charities for a minimum of ten years, backdated to 2018.

David Burrell, Primrose Hospice CEO, confirmed: “Primrose Hospice has no intention of closing our branch on the High Street in Bromsgrove.

“We are aware that the building which we rent is up for sale by auction but will be looking to continue our retail operations in this shop with the new landlord.

“Our shop customers know they are guaranteed good quality clothing and household items at great prices as well as a warm welcome.

“Recently, we have been able to start accepting donations again at the store which I know is a great relief to our supporters.

“We can take three bags per customer and ask that people call ahead on 01527 579085 to check that we still have space available in our storage.

“Thank you to all of our customers at Primrose Hospice's shops whose support makes it possible for us to provide free of charge palliative care and bereavement support to people in north east Worcestershire.”

Mark Corbett, Head of Fundraising and Retail at Blue Cross, added: “It isn’t the first time ownership of one of our shops has changed hands.

"In other situations a new landlord has come in and we have continued our tenancy as normal.

"We look forward to meeting the new landlords and discussing the future of the Blue Cross charity shop in Bromsgrove with them.”

Both charities have the right to review their respective tenancies in 2023.

The bidding guide states that the Primrose Hospice shop has a current rental income of £22,000 per year while the figure is slightly higher for the Blue Cross store at £24,000.

The auction begins at 9am and will be live-streamed on the Bond Wolfe website with remote bidding by proxy, telephone or internet only

Interested parties must pre-register to bid no later than 12 noon on Tuesday, October 27.