Ikea has given an update on its Black Friday plans and Buy Back scheme

So there was a lot of interest earlier this year when the Swedish retail giant announced it was launching a scheme called ‘Buy Back’, under which it would buy back customers’ old and unwanted purchases to resell in its stores.

The initiative was to be rolled out to coincide with Black Friday on November 27, and a wide range of goods were eligible to be brought back in exchange for up to 50 per cent of the original price if they were in sufficiently good condition.

Dressers, sideboards, bookcases, shelf units, desks and chairs were all covered by the scheme.

But now Ikea has issued an update about the launch, prompted by the pandemic.

"Whilst we had hoped to launch our new Buy Back service on Black Friday, we’ve sadly had to delay it due to the current lockdown and the temporary closure of our stores,” a spokeswoman said.

The scheme has been billed by the company as a way of ‘giving a second life’ to Ikea products that will ‘help people live more sustainably’.

The spokeswoman said: “Ikea remains committed to making sustainable living more simple and accessible, working towards its goal of becoming a fully circular and climate positive business by 2030.

“The launch of Buy Back is postponed until early 2021. Throughout the pandemic, our primary focus has been the safety of our customers and co-workers and the delay allows stores to focus on a safe and comfortable reopening once restrictions have lifted.

“We look forward to giving a second life to many more Ikea products and creating more easy and affordable solutions to help people live more sustainably at home.”

In addition, Ikea customers shouldn’t expect any Black Friday deals online or in store.

“As in previous years, we won’t be taking part in Black Friday sales,” the spokeswoman added.

Buy Back will run in Ikea outlets in the UK and Ireland, including the branches in Sheffield, Nottingham and Manchester. Items will be resold as second-hand in the As-Is Area of stores – previously known as Bargain Corner. Anything that cannot be resold will be recycled.

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