Lululemon is expanding its resale program across the U.S.
The Vancouver, Canada-based athleisure brand announced today that it will expand its “Lululemon Like New” trade-in and resale program to all U.S. stores starting April 22. Via the program, shoppers will be able to trade-in their used Lululemon items at more than 390 stores in exchange for a gift-card. They will also be able to purchase pre-owned products such as pants, tops, shorts and jackets online at likenew.lululemon.com.
The expansion comes after Lululemon launched a successful resale and trade-in pilot program across 80 stores in California and Texas last spring. According the Lululemon, this pilot saw an “overwhelmingly positive response,” with most pre-owned items ending up being classified as “good as new.” Lululemon has worked with resale technology provider Trove to launch the pilot and expansion program.
“At Lululemon, we’re deeply committed to creating quality products built to last and that are better for people and the planet,” said Celeste Burgoyne, Lululemon’s president of Americas and global guest innovation. “Bringing Lululemon Like New to all U.S. guests is a major step toward a circular eco-system and achieving our Impact Agenda goals to reduce our environmental footprint. We’ve seen incredible momentum from our pilot program and we look forward to welcoming new guests nationwide.”
Lululemon said it will reinvest 100% of profits from the program to help support the company’s initiatives outlined in its Impact Agenda, which includes making all products with sustainable materials.
Trove, which also powers resale for Patagonia, REI and Nordstrom, secured an additional $77.5 million in Series D funding in August. The company offers brands the logistics, operations, and technology to handle resale for their products.
Lululemon is the latest retailer to announce investments in resale capabilities. As FN reported on Monday, Target has quietly started reselling its products via a partnership with ThredUp. And just last week, PacSun announced the launch of a new ThredUp-powered resale program that allows customers to sell their worn clothing via ThredUp’s clean-out kits.
The resale sector is set to grow 11 times faster than traditional retail by 2025, according to ThredUp’s 2021 resale report. According to the report, consumers are turning to resale because it is more environmentally sustainable and financially beneficial than retail.
