Ikea Will Buy Back Furniture For Up To Half Original Price

Ikea will buy back unwanted furniture for up to half of its original price as part of a new sustainability initiative.

The Swedish homeware giant is encouraging customers to exchange tables, chairs and the like for vouchers; rather than throwing their furniture in a skip, setting it on fire or whatever it is they would normally do.

The 'Buy Back' initiative will then sell your second-hand furniture to customers looking for a cheaper alternative.

PA

The scheme will be introduced in stores across the UK and Ireland on 27 November - aka Black Friday. This is no coincidence, but rather a stand against the 'excessive consumption' associated with the event.

In keeping with this ethos, the vouchers customers receive in return for their furniture will not have an expiry date, so that they're used only when they're needed.

Furniture returned in good as new condition with no scratches can be exchanged for a voucher worth 50 percent of its original value, while minor scratches will knock the voucher down to 40 percent and items that have been well-used can be returned for a 30 percent voucher.

These returned items will be sold in the 'As-Is' area of stores (previously Bargain Corner) and anything that can't be resold will be recycled or donated to local community projects.

Peter Jelkeby, Country Retail Manager and Chief Sustainability Officer Ikea UK & Ireland, said: "Sustainability is the defining issue of our time and Ikea is committed to being part of the solution to promote sustainable consumption and combat climate change.

"With the launch of Buy Back we are giving a second life to many more Ikea products and creating more easy and affordable solutions to help people live more sustainably. It is an exciting step forward in our journey towards becoming a fully circular and climate positive business by 2030."

Products that are eligible for Buy Back include: dressers, office drawer cabinets, small structures with drawers, display storage, sideboards, bookcases and shelf units, small tables, multimedia furniture, cabinets, dining tables and desks, chairs and stools without upholstery, chests of drawers, children's products excluding baby items and PAX accessories.

You won't be able to exchange non-furniture items, products used outdoors such as outdoor furniture, any items containing glass, kitchen worktops, cabinets or fronts, PAX wardrobes, baby products, or textile, upholstered and leather products.

Prior to returning furniture, customers must fill out an online offer request. This will generate a preliminary offer, which customers will be invited to bring along with the fully assembled item to the returns and exchanges desk.

PA

Hege Sæbjørnsen, Country Sustainability Manager at Ikea UK & Ireland, said: "The Ikea vision has always been to create a better everyday life for the many people, which right now means making sustainable living easy and affordable for everyone.

"Being circular is a good business opportunity as well as a responsibility, and the climate crisis requires us all to radically rethink our consumption habits.

"Currently, 45 percent of total global carbon emissions come from the way the world produces and uses everyday products, so Buy Back represents an opportunity to address unsustainable consumption and its impact on climate change."

Topics: UK News, IKEA

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey