The famous flat-pack giant has long been working to encourage its shoppers to consider second-hand furniture. Initially, its Re-shop and Re-use area of its website saw it offer a range of Ikea products at affordable prices that contributed to a greener environment.
Re-shop and Re-use products come from all walks of life, including ex-display products, discontinued furniture, to pre-loved items from its Buyback service.
Then in August 2024, Ikea introduced its own digital second-hand marketplace to help customers connect, buy, and sell pre-loved Ikea items between each other. Ikea Preowned was initially tested in Madrid, Spain and Oslo, Norway.
Ikea’s free pilot platform allowed users to receive recommended prices, professional photos, precise measurements, detailed product descriptions, assembly guides, and care instructions. Most of the products currently listed are in the living room, children’s, and storage categories.
Jesper Brodin, CEO of Ikea’s largest franchisee Ingka, says: “The global second-hand furniture market is expanding rapidly, with an annual growth rate of 6.4% in 2024. Ikea products already constitute 10% of the second-hand home furnishing market. With this platform, we see opportunities to simplify and improve the experience for both sellers and buyers.”
At the start of 2025, this trial was expanded with plans in the coming years to scale it to all markets in Europe.
“Sometimes you have to go with the gut. This is a market and a movement in society, and if we would stay outside we couldn’t take part in it,” adds Brodin.
Ikea has experimented with many sustainability initiatives, but Preowned is the only one that can compete with the likes of ebay and Depop, according to Brodin.
Additionally, Ikea’s investment arm – Ingka Investments – is providing €1bn to companies that are increasing recycling infrastructure, having already supported an upholstery and mattress recycling firm through its Circular Investments’ portfolio.
In 2017, Ingka Group established Circular Investments to invest in companies contributing to the transition to a circular economy. Companies focused on making a difference in plastics, mattresses, textiles, wood and food waste, could benefit.
It looks to avoid millions of tonnes of CO2e produced, while increasing the availability of recycled material on the market. It estimates that since its inception, portfolio companies have recycled around 2.7 million tonnes of materials overall, avoiding over 9.4 million tonnes of CO2e.
This is one of six profiles in the new InternetRetailing Global Homeware 2025 report. The studies showcase the approaches being taken by retailers from Brazil, France, Sweden, the UK and the United States. Each profile has a different focus, from brand transformations to celebrating craftsmanship.
DFS, Maison du Monde, Mod-Lighting, Ortobom and Room & Board are covered.
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