Urban Outfitters to launch Nuuly Thrift resale marketplace

Urban Outfitters has announced it is launching a new resale platform called Nuuly Thrift this autumn, where anyone can buy or sell men’s, women’s and children’s apparel and accessories.

Customers will have the opportunity to resell products from any brand, not just those in the URBN portfolio of brands which includes Anthropologie, Free People, BHLDN and Terrain, as well as Urban Outfitters.

Nuuly Thrift will be the sister platform to Nuuly Rent, the subscription rental service for women’s apparel, and both platforms give customers the chance to “wear, buy and sell in ways that are gentler on the planet – and on their wallets.”

Products will be merchandised on the platform using a “best-in-class creative edit”, and when customer sell an item on Nuuly Thrift they can either transfer their earnings directly into their bank account, or redeem them for Nuuly Cash which is worth 10% more at Nuuly Thrift and all the URBN brands.

Richard A. Hayne, CEO and Chairman of Urban Outfitters, Inc., said: “URBN has been in the vintage renewal business since our founding in 1970. With the launch of Nuuly Thrift, we’re excited for URBN to capitalise on shifting customer behaviour and gain market share in the rapidly expanding resale market.”

Nuuly Rent’s end-of-life rental inventory will also be sold through Nuuly Thrift, and the plan is for Nuuly Thrift to introduce new customers to Nuuly Rent and vice versa.

The company said that URBN customers are already “very active in the resale market”, with three-quarters having made second hand purchases, and nearly a half having sold second hand items, in the past year.

David Hayne, Chief Technology Officer at URBN and Nuuly President, commented: “With URBN’s millions of existing customers, our merchandising and creative expertise, our deep technical capability, and the potential for Nuuly Cash to drive incremental purchases at our family of brands, we believe the stage is set to capitalise on a very large resale market opportunity.”