In an interview with Financial Times, Jesper Brodein, CEO of Ikea’s largest franchisee Ingka shared that the trial of the retailer’s Preowned service has been extended nationwide across Norway and Spain, and will be available until August. “It works and people like it. In a couple of years, we want to scale it up to all markets in Europe,” said Brodein.
So far, the pilot program in Madrid and Oslo already gained the interest of around 200,000 visitors, with many thousands actively engaging.
The Preowned platform offers sellers manuals, photos, measurements, access to spare parts (when listing furniture), the possibility to be paid in store vouchers, as well as price recommendation.
The idea behind the launch of the platform was, among others, the brand’s transformation away from being an out-of-town retailer to offering online, city center stores, more collection points and services.
Ikea launched its secondhand peer-to-peer marketplace last August for shoppers to sell their unwanted furniture to each other amid the rise in demand for second-hand goods. The company is therefore not part of the shipping procedure or transactions.
