LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Wayfair Inc. (NYSE:W), one of the world’s largest destinations for the home, today announced a partnership with Shelter, the leading charity working to tackle homelessness and housing issues in the UK.
Having contributed more than $12 million to supporting causes globally over the last year, Wayfair’s partnership commitment to Shelter marks an important milestone in the home destination’s long-term cause commitment in the UK.
As part of its long-term partnership, Wayfair will host its annual Save Big, Give Back sale from August 2-9. Save Big, Give Back will offer customers significant savings on all things home. Wayfair is committed to donating 10% of profits* from the sale with a minimum donation value of £100,000. The funds raised from the sale will go directly to support Shelter’s vital work, protecting people’s right to a safe home through advice, support and campaigning.
Wayfair will also launch a variety of other initiatives spanning cash and in-kind donations, as well as fundraising, bringing together its customers, supplier partners and employees to help raise critical funds for Shelter’s cause.
“At Wayfair, we believe that everyone deserves the safety, security and comfort of having a place to call home, and we are committed to making that goal a reality in partnership with Shelter,” noted William Merricks, UK General Manager at Wayfair. “We make it our mission to contribute to communities in times of need by partnering with organisations that adhere to our values and that drive systemic change. In Shelter, we have a partner that is tackling one of the most profound threats to home in Britain and we are delighted to be able to support its important work supporting the nation’s most vulnerable people.”
According to new research by Shelter, there are now an estimated 17.5 million** adults in Britain who do not have access to a safe or secure home. Their home might be unaffordable, unfit or unstable, or they may have faced discrimination due to their race, gender, disability or sexuality. Thousands of people are forced to sleep on the streets on any given night and an estimated 250,000 people*** living in temporary homeless accommodation in England alone.
Shelter receives millions of visits to its website every year from people seeking help and advice, and in the last year its national emergency helpline and local services helped over 60,000 people.****
Andy Harris, Director of Income Generation at Shelter said: “We’re really pleased to announce our new partnership with Wayfair. We share its belief that a safe and secure home is not only a basic human need, but also the springboard that allows people to thrive and not just survive. Shelter exists to defend the right to a safe home, and this commitment from Wayfair will help us to be there for even more people by raising vital funds. Millions of people in Britain are now impacted by our housing emergency, and with the generous support of Wayfair staff and customers, we can continue to fight for home together.”
To find out more about Wayfair’s partnership with Shelter, please visit wayfair.co.uk
Editors Notes:
*Profits means net revenue minus wholesale, shipping and other product-related costs, customer service costs and merchant fees, plus credit card points and rebates. Wayfair commits to donating a minimum of £100,000. Shelter Trading limited donates all its taxable profits to Shelter (Charity no. 263710 England and Wales, SC002327
**Shelter commissioned YouGov to conduct an online survey among 13,268 adults (18+) in Great Britain, to ask them about their home and housing experiences. 4,410 of the respondents were experiencing the housing emergency. Fieldwork was undertaken between 6 – 14 April 2021, and the figures have been weighed to be representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).
***Figures on rough sleeping and temporary accommodation come from Shelter analysis of Government figures sourced from here. Note figures in this release relate to people, whereas most official statistics count by household, and this analysis was previously released here.
****60,000 is the total number of clients helped during the financial year ending 2020 for Shelter Helpline and face-to-face services, combined with total number of Shelter webchats in the financial year.
About Shelter
Shelter exists to defend the right to a safe home and fight the devastating impact the housing emergency has on people and society. Shelter believes that home is everything. Learn more at www.shelter.org.uk
About Wayfair
Wayfair is the destination for all things home: helping everyone, anywhere create their feeling of home. From expert customer service, to the development of tools that make the shopping process easier, to carrying one of the widest and deepest selections of items for every space, style, and budget, Wayfair gives everyone the power to create spaces that are just right for them.
Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. and with offices in Berlin, London and Galway, the company employs 16,200 people, more than 2,000 of them in Europe. Wayfair operates in the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada and the U.S. The company generated $15.3 billion in net revenue for the twelve months ended March 31, 2021 and is publicly listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
