Ikea has announced plans to launch its own online marketplace globally from December.

The new online shop, Ikea Preowned, aims to compete with second-hand furtniture shopping platforms, such as eBay, Gumtree and Facebook Marketplace.

It is currently running in Madrid and Oslo, but is set to grow to a global scale by December.

Sustainability is the main driver for the launch, coupled with a rise in demand for second-hand goods at a lower cost.

The launch aims to help Ikea to meet sustainability goals, by reusing pre-owned items to avoid them ending up in landfill and producing an excessive amount of CO2.

“This has been a dream in the making for a while,” Ikea CEO, Jesper Brodin said in an interview with the Financial Times.

“We are in a place in Ikea where we can do more advanced and cool stuff. There is an incredible confidence in the company evolving on digital.”

The latest announcement follows previous sustainability initiatives from the retailer, including car boot sale events, which were trialled last year in a bid to increase sustainability by encouraging customers to buy second hand home furnishings.

It came as part of Ikea’s circular economy push, which also included recycling opportunities hosted by the retailer, including Ikea circular hubs, which are dedicated areas in stores selling recycled products.

All initiatives form part of Ikea’s goal to be climate positive by 2030.

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