Key Points
- Birmingham Hospice has opened Mello café inside its Reloved superstore on Harborne High Street.
- The cafe serves food and hot drinks, with coffees priced from £2.
- All sales proceeds fund end-of-life and specialist palliative care for local patients.
- The new dining area sits within the existing 6,470-square-foot store, which sells secondhand clothes and homeware alongside event spaces.
- Birmingham Hospice currently spends more than £51,000 a day to run its regional care services.
HARBORNE (Birmingham Express) September 7, 2026 — Birmingham Hospice has officially opened its new in-store dining venue, Mello café, inside its flagship Reloved superstore on Harborne High Street, establishing a fresh hospitality space designed to support end-of-life patient care.
As reported by Kirsty Bosley of the Birmingham Mail, the new Mello café gives Reloved Brum shoppers a unique experience, offering the option to enjoy food and drink while browsing in order to directly support their local hospice. The venue has launched with an affordable pricing structure, including coffees priced from £2, ensuring local residents can access hot beverages without high high-street price tags.
What Does The New Mello Café Offer To Harborne Shoppers?
The introduction of Mello café adds a dedicated food and beverage service to the 6,470-square-foot Reloved Brum site on Harborne High Street. The superstore originally established its reputation as a modern charity shopping concept featuring preloved clothing, vintage homeware, curated furniture, and interactive features including weekend DJ sets and community meeting spaces.
With the arrival of Mello café, visitors can purchase fresh drinks and meals while socialising in a purpose-built seating area. According to reporting by the Birmingham Mail, the hospice structured the menu to balance quality and affordability, targeting price-conscious customers seeking high-street alternatives.
Every transaction made at the café counters contributes directly to the charity’s overall funding pool. As stated by the retail team during the wider concept launch, the primary aim of these retail ventures is to ensure every penny spent enables the hospice to support more local individuals living with a terminal diagnosis and their families.
How Does Retail Revenue Support Birmingham Hospice’s Services?
The hospitality venue operates as an integral component of the charity’s broader commercial strategy. Birmingham Hospice—formed by the merger of Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice and John Taylor Hospice—supports approximately 670 patients on average every single day across Birmingham, Solihull, Sandwell, and Sutton Coldfield.
As detailed by Jonathan Varley, Head of Retail at Birmingham Hospice, in a statement regarding the organisation’s retail network, operational expenses to deliver specialist end-of-life care reached £18.8 million last year, equating to more than £51,000 required every day. With expenditure anticipated to rise to £19 million, the charity relies on fundraising, voluntary donations, and retail income to generate £7.2 million annually.
As reported by the eHospice editorial team covering the charity’s ‘Reloved Revolution’ strategy, Cath D’eath, Retail Area Manager for Birmingham Hospice, explained that months of hard work went into bringing their vision to life, with a commitment to providing a unique shopping experience that directly drives funding back to patient care.
Background Of The Particular Development
The establishment of Mello café in Harborne represents the latest phase of Birmingham Hospice’s strategic expansion into experiential community retail.
In August 2023, the charity launched its flagship Reloved Revolution concept store on Harborne High Street in collaboration with social media influencer Jennifer Graham (known as ‘Charity Shop Girl’). The location was designed to challenge traditional perceptions of charity shops by combining high-end secondhand fashion with lifestyle elements like photo areas and event spaces.
Following the success of the Harborne superstore—which later earned national acclaim as Charity Shop of the Year—the hospice expanded its footprint across the West Midlands. This included opening a 7,000-square-foot superstore at Mell Square in Solihull town centre, managed by Sam Johnson, and establishing community hubs like ‘The Hive in the Park’ at Rookery Park in Erdington, directed by Michelle Stuteley.
To further elevate the Harborne superstore, Birmingham Hospice invited experienced hospitality operators and food entrepreneurs to manage its internal café infrastructure, culminating in the formal launch of Mello café to complete the multi-use retail destination.
Birmingham Hospice
Prediction: How This Development Can Affect Local Residents And Care Patients
The launch of Mello café is set to create a positive two-fold impact on both the local Harborne community and patients requiring palliative care across the West Midlands.
For local residents and shoppers, the café provides an affordable social space amid ongoing inflationary pressures. Offering £2 hot drinks inside a community-focused superstore lowers the barrier for individuals seeking cheap dining options, while combating social isolation by encouraging longer stays and community interaction within the Harborne High Street district.
For terminal patients and their families, the predictable daily revenue generated by Mello café will help insulate Birmingham Hospice against wider funding shortfalls. With Hospice UK data indicating that nationwide financial constraints prevent one in four families from accessing required end-of-life care, commercial diversification through affordable food retail ensures steady income streams. This financial stability will directly safeguard bed availability, home care visits, and family bereavement support across the region for years to come.
