21 April 2020
With a rise in thrifting in the UK, is second hand clothing a threat to clothing retailers?
Over the last two years, the UK has seen a rise in the number of people shopping second hand clothing. Although thrift stores have existed in America for some time, thrifting became a more popular shopping method in the 21st century. The increasing globalisation stemming from the Internet and social media has led to the shopping trend making its way over to the UK.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has said that a jump in retail sales in June 2019 was partly due to a rise in demand for second-hand goods. Mintel reports, 43% of shoppers having purchased second-hand items in the last month and a further 24% would be interested in doing so in the future.
2019 saw ASDA, H&M and Selfridges trial selling vintage, second hand clothing in some of their UK stores. ASDA's Re-Loved collection, trialled in the Milton Keynes store, sold donated second-hand clothes from various brands - with all profits from the range donated to support Breast Cancer charities.
H&M's head of sustainability Anna Gedda said: "We see this as a growing part of the industry, with great opportunities both for consumers and not least for the environmental impact, and how we can drastically reduce that by extending the life of the products."
Other second-hand clothing initiatives, Big Sister Swap, Depop and COW Vintage Store, are all supplying the growing demand for second-hand clothing in the UK - through clothes swapping and reworked clothing.
The increasing demand for vintage and retro clothing...
Amanda, manager of Top Banana Vintage Store in Kings Heath, Birmingham, discussed her experience of the increased demand for second-hand clothing: 'We get [customers] from all areas coming to our shop because we're the only vintage shop in Kings Heath.'
She added, '[Vintage clothing] has always been in fashion...generation after generation'
'Charity shops have an important role to play...there is a clear market need for them'
Martin Mullaney, Town Centre Manager for Kings Heath, spoke about the demand for second-hand stores on local high streets: 'In Kings Heath they are very popular, there is a popular need for them, people use them'.
There are also environmental benefits to charity shops as they are, 'Recycling a lot of items...instead of sending stuff to landfill, they are reusing them'.
He stated charity shops are, 'useful place to get cheap items...that are second hand', adding
'for people at the bottom of the economic ladder, they are a vital way of getting clothes'.
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