Two major UK stores to offer second hand clothes and furniture to customers

CONTINUING its commitment to sustainable fashion, George at Asda in the UK has announced it will be launching a new second-hand vintage fashion range in its stores, giving a new lease of life to pre-worn garments.

In partnership with vintage fashion wholesaler ‘Preloved Vintage Wholesale’, the new concept will be rolled out across the UK, with customers able to buy vintage, retro and second-hand branded pieces, preventing thousands of tonnes of garments going to landfill each year.

Following a successful trial in Asda’s sustainability store in Leeds, George is now launching the sustainable fashion partnership in a further 50 of its stores, including London, Bristol, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Brighton.

The move is part of the retailer’s ‘George for Good’ commitment to drive down textile waste and as well as being an advocate for sustainable sourcing, the retailer is also supporting customers to use less and recycle more.

Mel Wilson, Global Professional Lead – Sustainable Sourcing and Quality, said: “We know that sustainable fashion is something that’s really important to our customers and colleagues. They’re passionate about us encouraging everyone in the UK to think about the issues of waste and how we can make fashion and textiles more circular, so that we really can reduce the number of garments that go into landfill.

“This is an exciting partnership for George, it’s unique in that not only can our customers pick out some vintage and often designer garments at an affordable price, but they’re also helping to support reduce waste by giving these items a second lease of life which is something we are proud to be a part of.”

Steve Lynam, Managing Director or Preloved Vintage Kilo said of the partnership:

“Our Partnership with George at Asda is one that we are extremely proud of. In a world where we are becoming more environmentally conscious this partnership will help bring Sustainable Fashion to the mainstream which is something as a business, we strive for in everything we do.

The more people that buy into the circular economy and shop Vintage & Retro the bigger impact we will have on climate change. As a business we have saved over 800 tonnes of clothing going to landfill and with the growth of our partnership that is set to increase dramatically.”

George recently announced the launch of its ‘Take Back’ scheme, which encourages customers to bring back their unwanted garments to store, rewarding them with a 10 per cent off George voucher and in return raising vital funds for Asda’s Tickled Pink campaign, which supports Breast Cancer Now and Coppafeel.

Following this, Ikea will launch a similar offer in stores in 26 different countries including the UK whereby Ikea it will operate a furniture buy-back and re-sale scheme, in an attempt to reduce the number of products going to landfill.

Customers will receive vouchers to spend in-store if items they no longer need are returned in good condition.

Charity shops however may find the competition from such large organisations will affect the volume of donations that they receive in major cities.