About Us
New-U is a unique boutique style swap shop in central Norwich offering quality pre-loved clothing and accessories for the whole family. We're a registered charity with three aims at our heart: swap, experience and borrow.
SWAP:
Customers can bring in up to 10 good quality, clean, items they no longer wear, exchange them for swap points and then spend the points in store. We have a high turnover of stock, give change in the form of points and there is no time limit on point vouchers!
We aim to encourage the wider public to contribute towards sustainable fashion. The way in which textiles are produced and marketed has huge implications for both the environment and for social inequality. When customers swap clothes at New-U, rather than buying brand new, they are helping to reduce the harmful impact of the textile industry.
At our New-U store everyone can 'buy' clothes with clothes! We accept up to 10 items of clean and undamaged accessories, menswear, womenswear, and childrenswear in exchange for points to spend in store.
Apart from a small range of clothes which we sell to fundraise for the charity, all of the stock in our shop can be purchased with either points or with cash. New-U really is for everyone, regardless of income!
In our eBay shop, we sell clothes to help us raise funds for the charity. By buying online, you're helping us to help unemployed young people and secure the future of New-U.
See more details on how it works on our website.
EXPERIENCE:
Workshops and work placements
Long term unemployed people face numerous barriers to gaining employment which often cannot be overcome without intervention geared to the individual and their specific needs. At our Norwich store we offer individualised work experience placements to long term unemployed young people. Our flexible and supportive environment is designed to help them gain the confidence to progress towards work, education, or volunteering. In 2020, we began a series of fun, interactive, workshops called "You've got this" for unemployed 16-30 year olds. See our site for more details.
Young people on work experience placements help with all sorts of things in our store. Including: dealing with customers, taking photographs for social media, creating visual displays, allocating points, steaming clothes, serving customers and stock control. We also run the ‘Honesty Library’ next door to our clothes shop where the whole community can swap books. Work placements take place in either or both units.
If you feel you could offer us a few hours of your time we would be extremely grateful - especially on Saturdays! You will become part of a supportive, flexible and friendly team, dedicated to the success of New-U.
We really value the skills and time of our volunteers - if you're interested in helping out, just let us know what hours/days you can manage.
We recognise that if someone has been out of work or training for a while, they will need support to gain confidence and recognise the skills they already have. Our work placements are tailored to the individual, we work with the person to identify their strengths and help support them towards work, training or volunteering.
We welcome people with low level mental health issues, disabilities and hidden disabilities. We are all-inclusive and non judgemental and will adapt the placement to meet their needs to maximise the chances of each person gaining in confidence and skills whilst taking those first few steps towards bettering their lives.
A typical work placement is for 1 day per week for 4 weeks. We can be flexible around you and shifts can be from 2-3 hours to 7 hours each week. To find out more, contact us!
Following work experience placement we offer young people the opportunity to join our employability workshops ‘You’ve Got This’ to further improve confidence and recognise own strengths in small peer groups.
BORROW:
For anyone seeking smart clothing for an interview or any other occasion where smart clothes are required we can lend you the clothes that you need.
Our volunteers help with all sorts of things in our store. Including: dealing with customers, taking photographs for our online store, allocating points, steaming clothes, visual merchandising, helping with our social media accounts. In fact, as well relying on our volunteers to help run all aspects of the shop, we also need them to assist young people completing work placements and our ‘You’ve Got This’ workshops.
If you feel you could offer us a few hours of your time we would be extremely grateful. You will become part of a supportive, flexible and friendly team, dedicated to the success of New-U
Follow us here on icanbea.... for the latest news and opportunities. If you'd like more details on any of the above, please get in touch by using the form below, via hello@new-ultd.co.uk, or by visiting our Norwich store on Level 2 of the Castle Quarter.
