Zara launches resale service in UK market

ARTEIXO – Spanish fast fashion giant Zara has entered the resale market as it revealed plans to launch its own pre-owned platform in the UK. ‘Zara Pre-Owned’ will be integrated through Zara’s physical stores, its e-commerce site and its mobile app and will be unveiled on November 3.

Customers will be able to resell their Zara items through a peer-to-peer process through the new platform. The resale space will be organised by product categories, with detailed product information and images of the item on display.

Zara will also be offering repair services, enabling customers to request repairs on any used Zara garment from any season.

Various repair options will be included in the service, including the replacement of buttons and zippers and the repairing of seams. The offer will be available both offline and in-stores.

It is understood that the Pre-owned service is not expected to be profitable initially. Paula Ampuero, the head of sustainability at Zara, said: “At this stage, this platform is exclusively conceived as a tool to help customers extend the lifetime of their clothing and take a more circular approach.”

Zara is the latest of several fashion retailers to explore rental, resale and repair. Some claim this in response to shoppers demanding more environmentally sustainable or “circular” options, however, the likely reason is that brands are seeing the broader second-hand market booming and want a slice of the cake.

The resale and refurbishment market is predicted to outgrow fast fashion in the next decade years. Brands including Mulberry, Harvey Nichols, Asos, Asda, Dr Martens, Shein and H&M have all entered the market. The Selfridges department store group recently said it aims for almost half its interactions with customers to be based on resale, repair, rental or refills by 2030.