The market for repairs and refurbishment has a great future ahead of it. Just take the clothing segment: the global market for textiles grew by 3.9% in 2022, while the market for second-hand clothing grew by 28%. What’s more, every second-hand product needs someone to look at it, and many of these products need someone to repair them.
But repair shops are rare and their business is hardly scalable. Every product is different and new problems have to be solved time and again. Many repair businesses are small companies or sole proprietorships. There is hardly any division of labour. Productivity is correspondingly low.
Ingvill Kerob is providing a solution through her company Repairable. "Repairable is a new digital service that makes it easier to repair clothes and shoes. We work together with qualified tailors and shoemakers. In this way, everyone can contribute to sustainable fashion and local jobs," says Ingvill Kerob, the founder of Repairable. H&M invested in the Norwegian start-up in 2018. Being able to offer their services at H&M is a milestone, says Kerob. "You can hand in all kinds of clothes and shoes at the shop – not just H&M products." Other partners include COS and Helly Hansen. Kerob answered our questions about the "repair revolution" in this video interview.
The conference report of the 73rd International Retail Summit can be downloaded hier free of charge
Save the date for the next GDI-Handelstagung vor: 12. – 13. September 2024