Lucy & Yak launches ‘Re:Yak Buyback’ scheme ahead of new Nottingham store opening

Conscious clothing brand Lucy & Yak has just launched a ‘Re:Yak Buyback’ scheme, rewarding its customers with money off future purchases in return for taking their pre-loved clothing back to its stores - including the new store set to open in Nottingham on 18 February 2023.

Along with the recent Norwich store opening, the Nottingham store, located at 11 Poultry in the heart of the city, will be a ‘Re:Yak Hub’, which will host upcycling and repair workshops.

The Norwich store opened in November last year, shortly after Lucy & Yak opened a store in Bristol – in September 2022 - adding to the original store which opened in Brighton in 2019.

The Nottingham store will therefore make it four Lucy & Yak stores in the UK, with a retail expansion now well under way and plans for more stores in 2023, though details have not yet been disclosed.

The brand is best known for its quirky vintage-inspired dungaree designs, and the ‘Re:Yak Buyback’ scheme is to help to keep Lucy & Yak’s clothing in circulation and “combat retail waste”.

Customers will be offered vouchers of up to £20 when they return their “pre-loved Yaks” to a Lucy & Yak store, and items will then be resold or recycled – avoiding landfill.

How it works:

• Every voucher will have a £50 minimum spend attached, for example, a £20 voucher for a pair of dungarees with £50 minimum spend.
• The voucher must be redeemed within six months of the receipt.
• Customers will receive one voucher per product. For example, if they bring back four pairs of dungarees, they would get four £20 vouchers (with a £50 minimum spend attached to each).

Lucy Greenwood, Co-Founder of Lucy & Yak, said: “We’re always looking for new ways to be circular and ensure that our items are kept in use for as long as possible; we believe that brands should take responsibility for the lifecycle of their pieces even after they have been bought.

“We’re excited to be able to offer an easy way to give pre-loved Yaks a new life, or support customers to recycle them once they can’t be enjoyed anymore. Joining a talented network of Re:Yakkers who are already inspiring our customers to help their pieces live on for longer, our Buyback scheme brings the same ethos to our stores as the hub of our Lucy & Yak community.”

Commenting on the new Nottingham opening, Greenwood added: “We are so excited to be coming to Nottingham next month, and can’t wait to be a part of a city full of arts, culture and history.

“We’re really looking forward to having a shop in the East Midlands, in such a connected city like Nottingham, so we’re able to reach even more of our community and continue building our Re:Yak network.”

To celebrate the launch of its Nottingham location, Lucy & Yak is hosting a press, influencer and community night, which will take place on the evening of Friday 17 February 2023. Guests will have the chance to get a first look at the new space, check out the latest Lucy & Yak designs and enjoy some music, drinks and snacks.

The new bricks and mortar stores are part of Lucy & Yak’s ambitions to have a greater physical presence across the UK, and “more opportunities for face to face interactions with the Yak community”.

With more locations planned for the remainder of 2023, the hope is that each shop can become a ‘Re:Yak Hub’ – a space for customers to recycle, repair or upcycle their clothes.

Read TheIndustry.fashion's interview with Lucy & Yak's Co-Founder, Lucy Greenwood.