Ikea’s furniture Buy Back scheme has launched in the UK, following a delay due to the coronavirus crisis.
Ikea will pay customers for used furniture previously purchased from the retailer, in an effort to encourage more circular thinking and discourage a throwaway culture in the UK.
Products eligible for ‘Buy Back’ include dressers, office drawer cabinets, small structures with drawers, display storage and sideboards, bookcases and shelf units, small tables, multimedia furniture, cabinets, dining tables and desks, chairs and stools without upholstery, chests of drawers and children’s products.
Customers who want take advantage of Ikea’s furniture Buy Back scheme can head online and submit items for consideration by filling out an offer request. The tool will automatically generate a preliminary offer and customers will then be invited to bring the fully assembled product to the Returns & Exchanges desk located in their nearest store.
Once approved consumers will receive an Ikea voucher, with no expiry date.
Under the terms of Ikea’s furniture Buy Back scheme, used products returned “as good as new” with no scratches will be bought for half the original price, while items with minor scratches will be bought for 40% the original fee and goods with several scratches will be bought for 30% of the initial payment.
Why now?
The Ikea furniture Buy Back scheme was initially announced last year, and reported by Green Retail World at the time. But it was postponed owing to the second national coronavirus-related lockdown in November.
Ikea has long put environmental impact at the heart of its commercial decision making, and it is even questioning overconsumption trends in its mainstream advertising messaging. It plans to resell furniture it receives within its Circular Hubs – previously known as Bargain Corner – at reduced prices, to give items a second life and prevent unnecessary landfill waste.
Peter Jelkeby, country retail manager and chief sustainability officer at Ikea UK & Ireland, commented: “Households are connected to around 60% of global greenhouse gas emissions, consuming around a third of the energy and 10% of the water used globally.
“Therefore, small actions taken within them can make a significant difference, and why Ikea is so committed to making sustainable living more affordable, attractive and accessible. As one of the biggest brands in the world, we recognise our unique opportunity to help lead that change.”
He added: “Through Buy Back we hope to make circular consumption mainstream; making it easier for customers to acquire, care for and pass on products in circular ways.”
Pre-Loved Labels and Gumtree tie-up
To coincide with the launch, Ikea has introduced Pre-Loved Labels to its second-hand items, giving consumers information about these products’ history. This service will initially be trialled in Ikea’s Glasgow, Greenwich, Tottenham and Warrington stores.
Ikea has also launched a nationwide collaboration with online re-commerce platform Gumtree to advertise and promote the recovered products available within its Circular Hub. Interested consumers can reserve online before collecting these products in store.
Read more about Ikea’s new chief sustainability officer on Green Retail World
[Image credits: CPG Photography on behalf of Ikea]
