Online reseller of electricals and entertainment goods musicMagpie is making recycling phones easier for consumers in Manchester and Bristol thanks to new shopping centre partnerships.
The business, which buys old electricals, CDs and DVDs off consumers before reselling them, has placed its SmartDrop kiosks at Manchester Arndale, and Bristol’s Cribbs Causeway and Willow Brook shopping centres. For consumers recycling phones, these drop-off points provide an opportunity to build their returns into their wider shopping trips.
The kiosks for recycling phones are already in place in 290 Asda stores around the UK, but musicMagpie said this week’s move opened up the option for more people to engage with the circular economy and receive a financial reward when doing so.
Consumers wishing to recycle their phones are prompted to take the item/s to the kiosks after registering them online, where they will receive a resale value for the item and a code to access the machine.
Green Retail World editor, Ben Sillitoe, tested the kiosk service earlier this year in an Asda store. Watch the video, below, which has now had more than 3,000 views.
The three shopping centres now hosting the musicMagpie kiosks together attract more than 50 million visitors per year. Earlier in 2023, the reseller placed a kiosk in The Trafford Centre, Manchester, which has proved successful and paved the way for further shopping centre installations.
According to musicMagpie, the kiosks account for 45% of its consumer technology sourcing in the UK.
Steve Oliver, CEO & co-founder of musicMagpie, remarked: “We’re thrilled to announce that our SmartDrop kiosks will be arriving at three new major locations this week, following the successful rollout in Asda stores across the country.
“Our SmartDrop kiosk in The Trafford Centre has been one of our most successful installations to-date, and with millions of people visiting each of these new sites every year these will serve to increase brand awareness and promote the service making it easier than ever for customers to trade in their phone for cash, while doing something positive for the environment.”
[Image credit: Green Retail World]
