A pair of little shoes that is not new, but it seems. A corner with second-hand toys packaged as if they had just left the factory. This is what the first Kid to Kid store in Spain looks like. The American firm for buying and selling used children's items has landed in the country with the idea of offering an economical alternative to the tight pockets of Spanish parents. “With the crisis there is less money and they try to cut spending on what is not essential. Adults can stop buying clothes for one or two years, but children don't stop growing”, argues the Portuguese Diego Madaleno, one of the company's partners in Spain. The company has confirmed that it will make 20% discounts on all products for Black Friday, on November 25.
The store is 170 square meters and is packed with products. It opened on August 1 in the Madrid neighborhood of Las Tablas, empty: only for the purchase of used items. Two months later, it was full, with about 15,000 units, according to the company. From footwear and clothing, which are the firm's forte, to toys, baby carriages and video surveillance cameras. The company's target market is children from zero to 12 years old.
“The products have discounts of up to 70% compared to the new ones, but they are in perfect condition. We have an offer of good quality at low prices. We sell brands like Ralph Laurent, Zara or Benetton”, says Madaleno.
How to sell a used item
The main difference between Kid to Kid and other thrift stores is the way they pay. Customers can arrive at the store with the item they want to sell, without an appointment, and collect cash on the spot or opt for a 20% higher amount to spend in the same store. In Spain there are other companies in the same segment, such as Baby Eco, but they work with deposit contracts: the products are displayed on the premises and payment is made when the sale is completed.
New post: Steam-O-Matic Hot Dog Steamer | How to Make a Hot Dog Cart Style Steamed Hot Dog https://t.co/ilWuXlinNS
— BUZZBurnett Sun Aug 11 06:01:16 +0000 2019
When someone arrives with second-hand items to sell, a Kid to Kid employee does a sorting and sorting. Only those that are in good condition, clean and complete are accepted, if they have several pieces. In parallel, another employee enters certain parameters into a computer and a computer system calculates the price to pay. Madaleno explains that it is common for some clients to want to negotiate the amount, but that is not the way they work.
The sale of used products accounts for 70% of the company's worldwide turnover, the businessman specifies. But it also offers new items, especially those for childcare — such as bottles or pacifiers —, although they also sell brand-new toys. “The idea is that parents go to Kid to Kid and find everything they need,” summarizes Madaleno.
"The same experience as a new goods store"
The store is designed as a new goods store. Everything is well packaged, labeled, clean and tidy. Clothing and footwear have trial periods of 15 days and the company grants a one-year warranty for some of the products. "The idea is that the shopping experience is the same as in a store with new items, that the difference is not noticeable," Madaleno emphasizes.
The difference is evident, however, in the disparity of products on the shelves, in the fact that there are not several models of the same unit and in the feeling of lack of space, that the branch is too small for the quantity units on display. The businessman justifies himself and explains that the first store is smaller than normal because it is a pilot case.
Kid to Kid was born in 1992 in the United States and spread to Europe 14 years ago, when a couple of Portuguese entrepreneurs bought the rights to the brand for Spain and Portugal. Currently, it has a network of more than 120 stores, most of them franchised: 24 in Portugal and more than 100 in the US. "Portugal is full of Kid to Kid, there is no more room to grow," says Madaleno, who sees the expansion into the neighboring country as a natural process. The times of post-crisis austerity seemed to him the ideal context for the concept to take root.
Madaleno is optimistic and believes that in the long term — "in ten years, at least" — the company can reach 60 branches in Spain. The intention of the partners is to open more stores in the country, but the objective is to extend the brand with a franchise system. "We hope that in 2017 the first ones will begin to open," announces the Portuguese.
Other stores selling used products for children
In Spain there are other companies that offer a service similar to Kid to Kid, but with different purchasing systems:
