IKEA has announced plans to launch an online secondhand furniture marketplace in the UK later this year, hoping to secure a stronger position in the growing secondhand goods market while extending the lifespan of its furniture products.

According to relevant media reports, the UK launch is IKEA's latest move following trial runs in Spain and Norway. Since April this year, IKEA has been operating a secondhand marketplace in Belgium and Luxembourg, allowing IKEA Family members to resell idle IKEA products directly to one another within their neighborhoods. In some countries, including the Netherlands, circulation currently still relies solely on secondhand corners set up inside stores. IKEA is clearly adopting a gradual, country-by-country expansion strategy.

In a statement to the media, IKEA said: "Our goal is to let beloved IKEA products be passed on seamlessly, creating a trusted and vibrant space for fast, easy direct buying and selling between family members." This move is also seen as a direct response to the rapidly heating secondhand consumption trend. In the secondhand space, Vinted, which started with secondhand clothing, has already expanded into home goods, electronics and other categories, while Facebook Marketplace, eBay and various vertical resale platforms are also competing for a slice of the pie.

For the old clothing and textile recycling industry, IKEA's cross-category foray does not directly belong to the old clothing segment, but the accelerated expansion of its resale platform model objectively confirms that the consumer base for secondhand retail is broadening across the board. As home furnishings and appliances successively enter the resale cycle, textile enterprises planning reuse and regeneration channels can further reference this rhythm and methodology—from offline trials to independent platform-based operations—so as to more proactively align with market expectations and policy directions.

Source: IKEA is launching its secondhand marketplace in the United Kingdom - RetailDetail EU · Originally published on 2026-08-18