Oldbury Dunelm store trials Home to Home pass-it-on initiative
Homewares retailer Dunelm is using its Oldbury store to trial the launch of Home to Home, an innovative ‘pass it on’ scheme.
It is encouraging shoppers to pass on their pre-loved items, which will be donated onwards to families and individuals in the local community who will be able to make good use of them.
Home to Home will have its initial trial in four stores across the UK, including at Birchley Industrial Estate, Oldbury.
It has been developed in collaboration with environmental charity Hubbub and aims to offer customers a more meaningful way of passing on their no longer needed household items by inviting them to bring them directly into store, after which they will be sorted and re-distributed by community experts Brushstrokes in the local area.
Brushstrokes Community Project serves the whole community – particularly asylum seekers, refugees and newcomers – with kindness and respect, to affirm the rights and dignities of vulnerable people across Sandwell, West Birmingham and the Black Country, and facilitate meaningful integration into society.
Lucy Clark, partnerships and communities manager for Brushstrokes, said: "We are delighted to be working with Dunelm and Hubbub on this project. It is often the decorative items that make a house truly a home, and sadly it’s these items our service users are routinely unable to afford. “
The Oldbury store is accepting pre-loved homeware items from any retailer including kitchenware and home decor items like clocks, mirrors, throws, curtains, cushions and small storage items.
Kayleigh Davenport, store coach at Dunelm Oldbury, added: “We're delighted to be part of Dunelm’s Home to Home trial stores and to be able to provide our customers with an accessible solution to see their no longer needed homeware items purposefully recycled, as well as supporting local families and individuals.”
The Oldbury Dunelm store is also hosting a free swap, buy-and-sell add on to its already thriving Facebook Community group, which will allow members to swap or buy/sell preloved items online during what for many is a challenging financial time. This add-on has been designed to connect home lovers locally and help give pre-loved items a new lease of life.
Both schemes will run alongside Dunelm’s already established sustainability initiatives, including the popular instore Textile Takeback scheme which has already seen 405 tonnes of unwanted fabric donated by customers since it launched last year, with approximately 65 per cent of donated material reused, 20 per cent repurposed and 15 per cent recycled.
To find out more on how you can get involved with the Home To Home scheme visit dunelm.com/info/pass-it-on-with-purpose
