Ikea starts buy-back scheme offering vouchers for old furniture
8th May 2021 | Commercial Energy
Ikea has launched its long-awaited furniture buy-back and re-sale scheme, in an attempt to reduce the number of products going to landfill. The move is part of the retail giant’s sustainability drive to become “climate positive” by 2030. Customers will get vouchers to spend in-store if items they no longer need are returned in good condition. Ikea admitted the scheme was a learning curve, but decided to launch it after successful trials in several cities.
“I’m not saying we have all the answers, but we learned enough from the pilots to tell us that this could be something of real value to us and our customers,” Hege Saebjornsen, an environmental and sustainability expert at Ikea, told the BBC.
The initiative, originally scheduled to launch in November but postponed because of the pandemic, is now available in Ikea stores across the UK. It is also being launched in the other 26 countries in which Ikea operates. Used products returned in as-new condition with no scratches will be bought for 50% of the original price, while items with minor scratches will be bought for 40%. Furniture that is well used with several scratches will be bought for 30%. The items will be sold in separate areas of the stores, although Ikea has also announced a new partnership with Gumtree to sell second-hand products via the online marketplace.
Products eligible for buy-back include dressers, cabinets, bookcases and shelf units, small tables, dining tables and desks. The Swedish company has already announced it wants to become fully “circular” – eliminate waste through the continual use of materials – by 2030. Ingka Group, Ikea’s parent company, recently announced it was investing €4bn in renewable energy. Customers wanting to sell back furniture go to Ikea.co.uk to fill out an online form, which generates a preliminary offer, and then take items to a store.
More information available on the website below
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-56981636