The sporting goods retailer Decathlon Germany will buy back used items in the future. The new buy-back service is now being tested for certain products in selected branches, the company announced on Wednesday. The offer will be expanded next year.
As part of the buyback model, customers could give their used sports products to Decathlon and would receive a voucher or cash payment in return, the company explained. The retailer then puts the items back into second-use sale “after successful testing and repair”.
According to the sports goods retailer, during the test phase that is now starting, the service will initially be limited to bicycles from Decathlon’s own brands Btwin, Vanrysel, Triban and Riverside as well as skis and snowboards and will be available in the branches in Baden-Baden, Berlin Alexanderplatz, Saarlouis, Herne, Dortmund, Karlsruhe, Munich Mona, Plochingen, Ulm and Wallau available. Further product categories and locations are to follow in 2023.
Michael Kiess, Commercial Director Buy Back at Decathlon Germany, explained the background of the project: “I am very proud that we are taking another step with our new Buy Back service to extend the life of our products,” he explained in one statements. “We want to establish a sustainable circular economy at Decathlon: from the development of our products and production to repairability and second use. The resale and resale of sports products that are used but still fully functional is an important building block on our way.”