Rebag opens Connecticut store with item pricing kiosk

Dive Brief:

Amid the rise in used clothing popularity, Rebag, a luxury resale company, is on Thursday opening a new 2,100-square foot storefront in Greenwich, Connecticut, the company announced in a press release emailed to Retail Dive.
The store will debut "Clair Corner," featuring a Clair Concierge self-service kiosk that allows customers to receive an instant price quote on merchandise they would like to sell using its Clair by Rebag software.
The store will have more than 20,000 items in Rebag's inventory, including bags, watches, fine jewelry and accessories. In addition to buying and selling items, visitors also can use Clair Trade, which lets them pay the difference between the item they're purchasing and the one they're selling, per the announcement.

Dive Insight:

Rebag is bringing its value transparency tools in-store as it expands its physical presence.

The company, which also has locations in California, Florida, and New York, opened a 180-square foot micro-store in New York City's The Shops at Columbus Circle last December.

The Connecticut location now sits among luxury retailers in the shopping area like Saks and Hermès, the company noted.

The Clair Concierge is a self-service kiosk that promises to reveal "your once-loved item's true value."

Rebag

"Greenwich has always been a shopping destination for local communities in Connecticut and New York; and since COVID-19, it has become even more popular due to a vast amount of New York City residents moving to the area," Charles Gorra, founder and CEO of Rebag, said in an emailed statement. "Opening a physical location in Greenwich is a natural next step, and builds on our retail strategy of penetrating local markets where our customers dwell, while serving as a convenient drop off point for sellers."

Besides expanding its footprint, Rebag has also been enhancing its digital tools for merchants. In 2019, the company unveiled its Comprehensive Luxury Appraisal Index for Resale, or Clair, tool which assesses the value of handbags across brands. Earlier this year, the company debuted Claire AI, a tool available on iOS and Android that identifies and assigns a price to luxury bags.

As Rebag introduces new digital tools and brick-and-mortar stores, the secondhand clothing market is expected to grow in the coming years. A ThredUp report predicts that the resale market will increase to $77 billion over the next five years. It found that 42% of retailers said selling used apparel will be a critical part of their strategy, and 60% of retailers have already offered or are open to resale.