Dive Brief:
- Forging ahead with its sustainability goals, REI is opening a new location of its used gear concept store, Re/Supply, in Clackamas, Oregon, in August, the retailer announced Wednesday. To buy secondhand goods at the store, customers must be REI members.
- The store will feature an ever-changing assortment of used sporting goods and apparel based on the products received through its returns and trade-in programs, the company said.
- The retailer opened another Re/Supply location in Manhattan Beach, California, in 2020 and has eight other retail stores in Oregon. The retailer has more than 303,000 active members in the Portland area, per the press release.
Dive Insight:
Opening another Re/Supply location is part of the retailer’s sustainability goals. In 2022, the retailer sold more than one million used items through Re/Supply’s omnichannel offering. The retailer also said it aims to separate its business growth from carbon impact as part of its 2030 climate ambitions.
“As a member-owned co-op, we have a responsibility to preserve the long-term health of the planet,” Bob Cagle, REI regional director, said in a statement. “Our Re/Supply offering reimagines the lifecycle of outdoor products and helps keep gear where it belongs — out on trails, waterways and other natural places. Opening a Re/Supply store in the community builds on the popularity of our used program that is enjoyed by many Oregonians.”
For members of its co-op, the Re/Supply stores are yet another benefit they can use. Other benefits include travel discounts, discounts on shop services and an annual reward of 10% back on eligible purchases. The retailer re-established its lifetime membership program last year, hoping to grow the membership to 50 million by 2030. It also increased the membership fee from $20 to $30.
But as REI expands its secondhand goods and apparel reach, it faces competition from others entering the gear resale market. In April 2022, Dick’s Sporting Goods and its Public Lands banner debuted an in-store buyback program for used gear, accepting items such as tents, backpacks, skis and snowboards. Last July, Eddie Bauer added resale to its Eddie Bauer (Re)Adventure program where shoppers can buy used clothing and gear at a discount.
The trend continued earlier this year with Moosejaw opening its recommerce program. The offering, ReTrail, lets customers take and upload pictures of their used products, write product descriptions and suggest prices for each item they want to sell. After Moosejaw authenticates and approves merchandise to be sold on the platform, the company provides prepaid shipping labels to the seller.
