ORPINGTON: Volunteers praise Mary Portas, Queen of Shops

Save the Children in Orpington High Street invited the business guru, nicknamed Mary Queen of Shops, to run the second-hand store for four months last November.

She planned to turn around the ailing shop by turning her back on useless junk and selling more fashion clothing.

Her new manager Jo Khalef, paid a salary by Save the Children, heads a team of volunteers at the shop.

She said: “Mary was fantastic and I had a lot of respect for her and the decisions she made.

“But I couldn’t have done it with the help of the wonderful volunteers at the shop.”

She claims the shop was making around £900 pounds a week before the transformation but is now raking in £2,000.

The transformation is being shown in a series of TV programmes which started on Tuesaday (June 2).

Ms Khalef said: “Fashion makes money and Mary wanted to move that to the front of the store.

“All the bric-a-bac was moved to the back.

“I loved rummaging through charity shops before I got this job so it was a pleasure and privilege to be involved."

She added: “It was a bit scary at first doing everything in front of the cameras but it was good fun.

“We have certainly been busier since we appeared on the television.

"Of course, all of this makes more money for a very worthwhile charity.”

Volunteer Ron Stubbings has been working at the shop for 12 years.

“There was a lack of co-ordination before Mary arrived,” the 79-year-old said.

“She was a very nice woman but I think she was a bit nervous when she first arrived. The staff took a while to get to know her.

“There was a time when she put a sign up asking us to come to a meeting and one of the volunteers added the word ‘please’ underneath!”

He added: “We’ve learnt it is not worth charging anything for rubbish anymore."

Mary Portas is credited with having turned Harvey Nichols into the fashion giant it is today.