Ikea to launch furniture buy-back scheme which could earn customers up to £250 in vouchers

Ikea is to begin buying back people's unwanted furniture as part of efforts to reduce the number of items going to landfill.

The buy-back and re-sell scheme could also see customers earn up to £250 for their unwanted items.

IKEA has launched Buy Back, enabling customers to sell back old furniture, giving thousands of items a second life
IKEA has launched Buy Back, enabling customers to sell back old furniture, giving thousands of items a second life

The Swedish chain has launched the new initiative in Ikea stores nationwide.

It will encourage customers to sell back Ikea furniture they no longer need and receive a voucher in return. What's more, if the thought of dismantling a flat-packed item fills you with dread, the good news is the chain will be accepting all items fully assembled.

The pieces will then be sold-on by the retailer inside Circular Hubs - previously called Bargain Corners - at affordable prices to encourage customers to give items which catch their eye a second life.

Ikea had planned to initially launch the new system in November but was forced to delay the roll-out because of the pandemic.

Customers can buy the second hand furniture from Circular Hubs, once known as Bargain Corners
Customers can buy the second hand furniture from Circular Hubs, once known as Bargain Corners

There has been considerable growth in the second hand market as people's shopping habits change. Last month Asda announced plans to soon begin selling pre-loved clothing items in 50 of its stores.

Alongside the re-selling scheme Ikea is also introducing 'pre-loved labels' which will tell customers more about the history of the item they like the look of before they purchase it.

Greg Lucas, Country Sustainability Manager, IKEA UK and IE said: Our research shows that there's a huge demand to buy quality second hand products. In fact, three in four would now consider

buying pre-loved. For many, this comes down to affordability, but sustainability has a huge role to play in this decision too. Encouragingly, 32% people say that the reason they purchase second-hand is to extend the lifecycle of that item, with over a third agreeing that they like items with a history.

"We are trialling Pre-Loved Labels for that reason, so people can find out about their furniture's unique past before giving it a new home."

Pre-loved labels will tell customers about the piece of furniture's previous life
Pre-loved labels will tell customers about the piece of furniture's previous life

How it will work

Products eligible for Buy Back, say Ikea, 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 items.

Customers wanting to sell back their IKEA furniture can visit IKEA.co.uk and submit items for consideration by filling out an online offer request.

This will automatically generate a preliminary offer and customers will then be invited to bring the fully assembled product and their introductory offer to the Returns and Exchanges desk in their nearest store, where they will receive an IKEA voucher following a physical check by a member of staff.

Customers can return their unwanted items following an online valuation
Customers can return their unwanted items following an online valuation

The voucher will have no expiry date to encourage customers to only purchase new items when they really need something.

Peter Jelkeby, Country Retail Manager and Chief Sustainability Officer, IKEA UK and Ireland, said: “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.

“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. As we move towards our goal of becoming fully circular and climate positive by 2030 we will continue to take bold steps ensuring that, by then, all IKEA products will be made from renewable, recyclable and/or recycled materials; and they will be designed to be re-used, refurbished, re-manufactured or recycled, following circular design principles.”

On Tuesday supermarket Morrisons announced it was to once again begin asking customers to bring their own containers with them for meat, fish and deli counter products as part of efforts to reduce plastic waste. You can read more about that story here.

Read more: All the latest from other big brands and retailers across Kent here.

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