Currys to trial selling refurbished devices due to consumer demand

Currys started selling cheaper, pre-owned mobiles, laptops and Chromebooks on currys.co.uk in November as demand was driven by eco-conscious consumers and the cost-of-living crisis.

Sales of secondhand items have soared since the start of the trial, with 80% of refurbished product lines selling out within the first week of sales and 10% of online users searching for laptops were browsing the refurbished listings.

The technology retailer uses Europe’s largest tech repair centre in Newark, Nottinghamshire, to ensure refurbished products are checked, restored and repackaged correctly.

Currys has processed 600,000 items in the last 12 months, a proportion of which were then made available for resale on its website.

Refurbished tech was previously only available to customers if it was graded as being in “excellent” condition but a range of products graded “very good” and “fair” are available at lower price points as of this week.

All items are sold with a 12-month technical guarantee and each product is sold with charging power outlets and leads.

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.”