Shop Direct raises £140,000 with third charity ball

Shop Direct, the UK’s leading multi-brand online retailer with digital department store brands including Very.co.uk and Littlewoods.com, raised almost £140,000 at its third bi-annual charity ball.

The ball was held on Friday 5th December at the BT Convention Centre in Liverpool and featured a spectacular evening of entertainment. Over 1,000 guests took to the dance floor to the sounds of eighties sensations Five Star, Spandau Ballet’s Tony Hadley, and five-piece harmony group The Overtones. They also bid to win a selection of coveted items and experiences, with the highest priced lot – a corporate box for 10 to watch Liverpool FC take on Manchester City at Anfield on Saturday 28th February 2015 – fetching a whopping £4,500.

In attendance was a host of celebrities, including Very.co.uk designers and TOWIE stars Samantha Faiers and Jessica Wright, TV presenter Kate Garraway, Hollyoaks actresses Alex Fletcher and Gemma Merna, and Coronation Street star Antony Cotton, amongst others. The event was expertly hosted by Littlewoods brand ambassador, Myleene Klass.

A large part of the money raised on the evening will now be divided between Shop Direct’s three partner charities: Liverpool’s Alder Hey Children’s Hospital Charity, which is one of the biggest and busiest children’s hospitals in Europe; Baby Lifeline, which funds vital equipment for maternity and special care baby units; and the Fashion and Textile Children’s Trust, which provides education and welfare grants to families in need.

The majority of the funds raised will be used to offer grass roots grants via the Shop Direct Foundation, which supports small community organisations working with children and families in the North West of England. The Shop Direct Foundation is administered by the Community Foundation for Merseyside which, as well as distributing the much-needed funds, will work with the charities to ensure their sustainability.

Alex Baldock, CEO at Shop Direct, said: “We couldn’t be happier with the success of our third charity ball and the overwhelming generosity of our guests. The money raised at the event will make an enormous difference to children, families and communities across the North West.

“I’d also like to say a massive thank you to our generous sponsors, partners, colleagues and volunteers for donating such a wonderful selection of auction prizes, for their assistance on the evening, and for their ongoing support of the Shop Direct Foundation and our partner charities.”

ENDS

For more information, please contact Lauren Young at Shop Direct on 0844 292 3986

ABOUT SHOP DIRECT
Shop Direct is the UK’s fourth largest online retailer, with annual sales of more than £1.7 billion. Our digital department store brands include Very.co.uk, which is now a £700 million brand, and receive an average of 950,000 website visits every day.

We exist to make good things easily accessible to more people. With our department store range, market-leading ecommerce and technology capabilities and unique financial services offer, we’re well placed to deliver on that promise.

We sell over 900 famous brands, including big name labels and our own exclusive brands, and deliver 48 million products to our four million customers every year. Our click and collect service, Collect+, delivers to more than 5,500 stores across the country, increasing ease and convenience for customers.

For more information on Shop Direct, visit www.shopdirect.com or follow us on Twitter at @ShopDirect.