Support from Big Issue Group is helping millions of people through the cost of living crisis, a new report has found.
Overall, 7.4 million people in the UK were impacted by Big Issue Group’s systems of support or engaged with our products – an increase of 58% in a year.
The new figures published in the Big Issue Group annual impact report reveal that during 2022, we worked with 3,637 vendors – 876 of whom came to us to sell for the first time, a 10% increase in the total vendors on the previous year.
The men and women who earn a living with Big Issue buy magazines for £2 and sell them on for £4. More than two-thirds – 69% – of our new vendors in 2022 joined to make the Big issue their main or an important additional way to earn money.
Overall, a staggering £3.76 million was earned by our vendors in 2022. This incredible amount of money goes directly into the pockets of the most marginalised people in the country.
We are helping sellers adapt to the changing economic landscape too. A total of 1,319 vendors have now been supported by our teams to accept contactless payments – 404 in 2022 alone – with 221 vendors provided with Zettle card readers and 205 smartphones given out. This means that 51% of vendors are able to accept cashless payments, which dramatically helps increase their sales.