Shop ’til you drop? Primark wants customers to swap ’til they drop, instead.
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The retailer and Verte, a London-based circular fashion company, have joined forces on a limited run of pop-up shops in some of the fast-fashion retailer’s UK stores. The pop-ups, which the companies call Swap Shops, will allow customers to swap their pre-loved clothing with pieces from other consumers’ closets.
Lynne Walker, retail director of Primark Cares, said the partnership aims to help people “love their clothes for longer.”
“We’ve all got clothes in our wardrobe we keep meaning to wear but never get around to, so we’re excited to see Verte give new life to the clothing swapped by our customers and colleagues,” Walker said in a statement.
When heading to the Swap Shops, consumers can bring along up to five garments or accessories in good condition—whether pre-used items or never-worn items. The companies specify that acceptable items include menswear, womenswear and accessories from any brand—but some limitations do apply.
For instance, the companies note that Swap Shops will not accept shoes , jewelry, activewear , swimwear, intimates or skinny jeans .
The items brought in will be evaluated, and customers will receive tokens in exchange for their pre-loved items. According to Primark and Verte, each item will be assigned a token amount between one and five, based on criteria like brand, condition and type of apparel.
Once customers receive their tokens, they can redeem them for other items in the Swap Shop; the tokens will not have value for new items currently being sold in Primark.
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Luxury goods will be categorized separately; according to Primark, Verte will offer consumers a special gold token for luxury apparel in “almost-new” condition, which can only be traded for other gold token items.
If swappers don’t spend all their tokens at the in-person shop, they can create an account with Verte to store their tokens for future events. Clothing that goes unclaimed by swappers will be stored for a subsequent event or donated.
The two companies have three Swap Shops already planned in the fast-fashion retailer’s stores. The first will coincide with London Fashion Week at the company’s Stratford City, England store and will run from September 13 to 15. The company will immediately follow the London pop-up by moving to a Manchester store for an activation on September 16 and 17. Currently, the final planned Swap Shop will occur on October 16 and 17 on High Street in Birmingham, England.
Through a different initiative, Primark previously entered the resale and vintage markets. Its partnership with vintage wholesaler WornWell allows it to bring branded, pre-worn items to 10 of its stores across the UK and Ireland. The companies’ collaboration has allowed shoppers to purchase apparel items from eras gone by; WornWell stocks Primark stores with ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s pieces from brands like Nike, Levi’s , Puma and more.
It seems the retailer’s newest foray into pre-loved items may be a way to allow shoppers to buy into the circular economy without spending any extra cash.
“Welcoming Verte into our stores will help us to better engage with a community of like-minded fashion lovers who really care about where their clothes will go to next,” Walker said. “We hope our pop-ups will encourage more people to participate in the growing circular fashion economy and with an opportunity to do so in their local Primark store.”
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