// Currys sells refurbished technology on its website
// The retailer said it has noticed a growing demand for eco-friendly and cheaper products
Currys is selling refurbished technology on its website as part of a new trial.
The retailer said it has noticed a growing demand for eco-friendly and cheaper products as customers face financial challenges during the cost-of-living squeeze.
In response to this, Currys started selling cheaper, pre-owned mobiles, laptops and Chromebooks on its website in November.
Since then, sales of second-hand items have boomed, with 80% of the refurbished product lines selling out within the first week of sales.
Subscribe to Retail Gazette for free
Sign up here to get the latest news straight into your inbox each morning
Refurbished laptops are in particularly high demand – without any supporting marketing activity, one in 10 online users searching for laptops organically browsed the available refurbished listings.
The refurbished products are individually checked over, restored (if required), and repackaged by Currys.
Currys processed 600,000 individual tech items in the last twelve months at its Newark tech repair centre – which is the size of three football pitches.
Previously only available via the ‘Currys Clearance’ eBay store, buyers of second-hand products now have all the payment options they would expect when purchasing new items via currys.co.uk, meaning a diverse range of ‘buy now, pay later’ options are available on all items.
Currys has also guaranteed that each refurbished item is sold with charging power outlets and leads.
Until now, customers have only been able to buy second-hand tech which has been graded as being in ‘excellent’ condition. However, a range of items in ‘very good’ and ‘fair’ conditions are available at even lower price-points as of this week.
Regardless of their condition, all items are sold with a 12-month technical guarantee.
Currys Head of Development – Circular Economy, Mandeep Gobindpuri said: “In the UK we produce the second highest amount of e-waste per capita in the world. As much as we all love brand-new tech, we need to address this challenge.
“E-waste is a core reason why we are committed to our ‘Long Live Your Tech’ campaign, which helps customers make more informed environmental decisions when buying and disposing of technology.
“Buying refurbished saves customers money and saves good tech from landfill. This trial is a win for customers, and a win for the planet.”
