Ikea to resell second-hand goods in all Belgian stores

All Ikea stores will have a "Circular Hub" where customers can buy second-hand products within two years, the Swedish furniture giant said on Monday at the press conference presenting the renovated Circular Hub at its branch in Mons.

The brand opened its first second-hand store in Belgium in 2014 in Hainaut province. Customers can bring back their Ikea furniture, to be sold in-store as second hand by the company, in exchange for a voucher.

"Depending on the condition of the product, customers receive a voucher equivalent of up to half the purchase amount," explained Nathalie Van Edom, sustainability expert at Ikea Belgium.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Circular Hub in Mons had been temporarily closed but has reopened in recent weeks. Within two years, all the Swedish giant's stores will have such a space. A timetable for the complete roll-out of Circular Hubs in Belgium has not yet been set.

For Ikea, second-hand furniture is part of a three-pillar sustainability plan. In addition to selling second-hand goods, the Swedish firm aims to have a zero-waste policy by 2030 and to work only with recycled or renewable materials.

"The Circular Hub is actually the idea of translating our ambitions into stores in terms of the circular economy," explained Caroline Gastaud, head of sustainable development at Ikea.

"We realise that we need to change the way we do business to reuse, repair, repack and recycle. Here in the store, the customer can already buy products that are exhibition models, and models that have been repaired and repackaged. But in these spaces, the customer will also be able to resell his old Ikea furniture."

"In recent years, in the second-hand market, there has been a big development," Gastaud continued. "We felt that customers were ready to engage in this process and to use more second-hand products, such as furniture and accessories. For us, it is a way to become part of this trend that already exists in Belgium."

Ikea has been present in Belgium since 1984 and has eight stores in Belgium: Anderlecht, Zaventem, Ghent, Wilrijk, Hasselt, Arlon, Mons and Hognoul. It employs more than 4,300 people across the country.