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Earth Day Celebration: How Resale Stores are Paving the Way for a Sustainable Future

This Earth Day, it’s more apparent than ever that sustainable businesses are the premier option for entrepreneurs and business owners. Amidst rising global conflicts and strife, resale franchises offer consumers a means to make their dollars count toward something that makes Earth a better place.

For the past 30 years, Winmark – the Resale Company® has seen success as a leader in the sustainability movement that caters to the emerging interest in resale franchises. Our franchisees know that every day is Earth Day for Winmark’s brands.  

Woman working at a retail store

Resale Franchises Make a Real Impact

As climate change and environmental issues become more pressing, the stigma surrounding resale and buying gently used items no longer exists the way it did decades ago. It’s no passing fad, however. Footwear News has reported that new clothing items produce an average of 21.1 pounds of carbon dioxide, to a used clothing item’s 3.7 pounds. Likewise, used clothing items take up significantly less water, only a little more than a gallon, whereas new clothing items can take up a whopping 78.5 gallons of water.

These well-documented changes spell real change, especially when business owners step in to provide their communities with high-quality alternatives to conventional retail and fast fashion options. Winmark’s franchisees have been at the forefront of this shift, and 2022 is the year to jump in headfirst.

Consumers Are More and More Interested in Shopping Sustainably

Owning a resale business can be a very wise decision for investors. While the larger retail market has been rife with turmoil, resale is booming. In a recent Glamour article, it was reported that the resale market is expected to expand 11 times faster than traditional retail, which depends on manufacturing. The current resale market alone is worth approximately $40 billion, with many studies estimating that it’ll hit $64 billion by 2024.

Some of this shift can be attributed to the fact that a significant portion of today’s shoppers (primarily composed of Millennials and Gen Zers) won’t purchase from brands that are not sustainable. Many sought out gently used options for the first time in 2020 and 2021, and have even reported that they’re interested in increasing their spending in this area.

Winmark, with over 1,270 franchises throughout North America, has cornered the market on high-quality and accessible resale franchises. Plato’s Closet®, Once Upon A Child®, Play It Again Sports®, Music Go Round® and Style Encore® each buy and sell brand-name merchandise, which makes our brands highly appealing to the newly interested resale consumers looking for quality sustainable options.

Plato's Closet

Winmark Franchisees are Celebrating this Earth Day

While other brands struggle to capitalize on resale and join this movement, Winmark’s franchisees have been successful for years. We’ve made it possible for our franchisees to jump on this trend with the expertise we’ve earned over decades of leading the way.

Two generations of consumers are coming into their own as customers with a strong point of view and sense of ethics, and as they look to safeguard the planet, so have we. Now is the perfect time to invest in resale while the resale market is hitting an all-time high. And we haven’t even hit its peak.

Celebrate this Earth Day by investing in North America’s longest enduring and most successful resale franchises! Learn more about how Winmark – the Resale Company® continues to lead the sustainable resale retail industry here.

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