Athletic fashion line Lululemon is taking its trade-in/resale program nationwide.
The company will let customers trade in their gently used Lululemon items starting April 22 for an e-gift card, which can be used in stores and online.
Most items, including shirts, skirts, dresses, hoodies, shorts, and sweatshirts, will fetch $5 or $10, though some items will be worth up to $25, the company says. The markup on the clothes for the next owner is considerable, with shorts going for $39 and parkas selling for $269 (though that’s still a significant savings on the retail price of items when they are new).
“Bringing Lululemon Like New [the name of the resale program] to all U.S. Guests is a major step toward a circular ecosystem and achieving our Impact Agenda goals to reduce our environmental footprint,” said Celeste Burgoyne, president of the Americas and global guest innovation at Lululemon. “We’ve seen incredible momentum from our pilot program, and we look forward to welcoming new guests nationwide.”
A trial of the program debuted last May at over 80 locations in Texas and California.
Lululemon says it will use money raised from the program to reduce its environmental footprint, using all profits for goals “outlined in its Impact Agenda, including making 100% of products with sustainable materials and end-of-use solutions by 2030.”
Other brands have explored the resale market in recent years. Target, in March, kicked off its own program for used apparel by partnering with ThredUp. Walmart, in 2020, also started testing the sale of secondhand clothing. Nordstrom opened its See You Tomorrow resale shop two years ago, but has since shut down the venture.
Overall, the secondhand clothing business is expected to see sales double from $36 billion to $77 billion by 2025.
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