New Start Highland has expanded its retail footprint with the opening of a second shop in Dingwall, taking over the former M&Co premises on the High Street.
Customers can now shop a wide selection of pre-loved furniture and homeware in the Highland town. The site will also be home to training operations, expanding the employability training New Start Highland offers from its base in Inverness.
The new space includes a Unique Ness concession which is the organisation’s one-of-a-kind sister brand and upcycled furniture line.
Unique Ness currently has its own dedicated retail outlet in Inverness’s Eastgate Centre, a second concession at New Start Highland’s flagship Carsegate site and will soon be available to shop online later this year.
Chief Executive of New Start Highland, James Dunbar, said: “The Dingwall community has supported us unwaveringly since we began our journey 25 years ago. Our first shop in the town, a treasure trove of trinkets, continues to attract strong footfall. Expanding into furniture and homeware and building on our training operations felt like a natural next step. This new store reflects our ongoing commitment to making stylish, affordable furniture more accessible across the Highlands while promoting sustainability through reuse and conscious shopping.”
The new outlet will complement New Start Highland’s existing store in Dingwall, offering locals access to second-hand furniture, homeware, books and more. For items like refurbished bikes and discounted paints, customers can still visit the Inverness location.
Retail is just one strand of New Start Highland’s wide-ranging commercial operations, which also include removals, storage, house clearances, fulfilment projects and commercial training. All profits generated are reinvested into the charity’s mission to help individuals facing crisis and poverty transform their lives.
Through holistic support services, including housing assistance, furniture provision and employability training, New Start Highland empowers people across the Highlands to build brighter futures.
New Start Highland, which is marking its 25th year, is at a key point of growth with further expansion plans on the horizon. Over the last 12 months it has served the local community over 132,000 times and has diverted over 70,000 items from landfill.
The new shop will be open six days a week, from 9am – 5pm Mondays to Saturdays.