ANP
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 06:23
Thrift stores are receiving less and less clothing due to the rise of mainly (ultra)fast fashion. More furniture and electrical appliances are being returned to stores. This is evident from figures from the trade organization Kringloop Nederland.
Fast fashion is cheap clothing that does not last long. The phenomenon has been around for years, but in recent years it has really grown with the rise of ultrafast fashion. This is clothing from mainly Chinese online stores that is designed and made in a few days.
“This year is the first time that we have seen the effect so clearly,” says director Rachel Heijne of Kringloop Nederland. “We also see that the quality of items is really poor. These are clothes that break after a few washes. You cannot sell them in the thrift store.”
Serious competitor
Ultrafast fashion is often sold at a thrift store price and is therefore a serious competitor for us, says the trade association. “We see that people really want to buy something new. At first glance, something like this looks nice on a webshop, but the quality is not that great.”
The thrift stores also have competition from online marketplaces such as Vinted or Vestiaire Collective, which are becoming increasingly popular. It is just too early to see the full effect of this, the trade organization says.
Although less is returned, clothing has a 27 percent share in the turnover of thrift stores. That is slightly less than the year before.
They are still very reasonable prices.
Rachel Heijne from Kringloop Nederland
The turnover of thrift stores has increased. According to Kringloop Nederland, this is partly due to inflation. “That does not mean that the cycle has become expensive. The prices are still very reasonable,” says director Heijne.
“The prices are mainly due to salary costs,” says Peter Vuijk, manager of a thrift store in Arnhem. “Minimum wages have risen considerably in recent years. That is simply very difficult for thrift stores.”
Recycle
Despite the higher prices, the thrift store remains popular. More and more items are being handed in and items can also be sold again more and more often. “Products come in and then we sort them. There are products that can go straight into the store, but sometimes they need to be cleaned or repaired first,” says Heijne.
Items that cannot be sold are taken apart. “For example, if there is wood in a product, we take it out and it can be used for something else.” Products that are not recyclable go to the incinerator. Two percent less was destroyed last year.
Furniture remains by far the most popular product in the thrift store. Almost 30 percent of the returned items fall under furniture. This is followed by electrical appliances.
