Swedish furniture kit retailer Ikea announced on Monday that it is testing its own online marketplace for its used furniture so that customers can sell it directly to each other.
“We are testing a digital second-hand marketplace in Oslo and Madrid to help customers connect with each other and buy and sell used Ikea items,” Tolga Oncu, retail manager at Ikea Retail, told Agence France-Presse (AFP), confirming a Financial Times report.
Ikea is called Preowned. The marketplace was opened for a test phase this summer and is scheduled to run until December, the company said.
“After December we will evaluate and decide on the next steps,” said Oncu.
The move is the company’s latest initiative to address concerns that its low-cost, flat-pack-based business model leads to overconsumption and waste.
The company had previously unveiled plans to rent, repair and recycle furniture in order to become a circular company by 2030.
Unlike in the past, when Ikea bought used furniture from customers, refurbished it and resold it in its own stores, customers can now sell their furniture directly to each other on the platform.
Ikea said the global market for used furniture is growing, with an annual growth rate of 6.4 percent forecast for 2024.
According to the company, Ikea products make up 10 percent of the used home furniture market.
The move is also part of the company’s transformation: The company previously only offered large warehouse stores outside of cities and now also offers smaller branches in city centers as well as online shopping.
