Norwegian Start-Up Company Keeps Used Furniture Circulating in the Economy

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Norwegian Start-Up Company Keeps Used Furniture Circulating in the Economy

On average, each Norwegian consumes 64.9 kg of furniture annually. This corresponds to 5.4 tons over the course of a lifetime. Norwegians also hold the European record for spending on renovations and invest NOK 85 million per annum on kitchen upgrades and new bathrooms only.  Many pieces of furniture meet a sad fate: they are thrown into the residual waste and sent for incineration. The founders of the Norwegian start-up company secundo.no saw an opportunity in the market and now the company provides an attractive alternative to all the cheap, disposable furniture that has become so widespread. Learn more about how a Norwegian start-up company keeps used furniture circulating in the economy.

Secundo.no is a start-up based in Oslo designed to make selling and buying used furniture a little less painful and a lot less wasteful.

Norwegian Start-Up Company Keeps Used Furniture Circulating in the Economy
Secundo.no buys the second-hand furniture, transports it to their warehouse, spruces it up, takes some fancy pictures, writes a detailed description of the items, lists it on their website for sale, and delivers it directly to the buyer.

Right from the get-go, they’ve had an incredibly strong team with a wealth of startup experience. A group of real go-getters, ready to tackle anything thrown their way. Among those are Eirik Broms (28) and Joachim Hoff (25) that saw a massive opportunity in Europe, and they’ve run with it. Fast forward to 18 months later, and over 10,000 pieces of refurbished furniture have been brought back to life through their platform. But they’re not stopping there – their web-shop has set its sights on a full European expansion.

Norwegian Start-Up Company Keeps Used Furniture Circulating in the Economy
Sofa, cleaned, refurbished, photographed – now as new – ready for sale.

Secundo.no buys the second-hand furniture, transports it to their warehouse, spruces it up, takes some fancy pictures, writes a detailed description of the items, lists it on their website for sale, and delivers it directly to the buyer. The process streamlines the furniture sales process, offering buyers a unique variety of cool pieces, all of which has been confirmed clean and in good condition. Buyers are even offered a 14-days open purchase order, which means, if they have made a wrong decision, the items can be returned for a refund.

Norwegian Start-Up Company Keeps Used Furniture Circulating in the Economy
Martin Eliassen (left) and Joachim Hoff.

Daily Scandinavian spoke with Joachim Hoff and Martin Eliassen to learn more about the company.

What’s the goal of Secundo.no?

We have proved to have created a success formula (quick in – quick out) and want to be a company that makes buying and selling used furniture easier and more convenient for the user.

Joachim Hoff and Martin Eliassen
Photo shooting at Secundo.

You might also be interested in reading about the world’s first recycling mall – in Sweden. Just click the image below.

Norwegian Start-Up Company Keeps Used Furniture Circulating in the Economy
Read about the world’s first recycling mall – in Sweden.

How did you get the business off the ground? 

We started by identifying a specific problem and validating it with potential customers. After conducting market research to ensure our solution was unique, we developed a minimum viable product (MVP) for testing and improvement. Despite our limited marketing budget, we focused on organic growth strategies, such as leveraging our network, offering exceptional customer service, and relying on satisfied customers to spread the word about our product. The combined effort of a dedicated team and a readiness to adapt were also key in successfully getting our business off the ground.

Norwegian Start-Up Company Keeps Used Furniture Circulating in the Economy
An Ekornes Siesta is almost ready for a photo shot.

Can you give us a description of how it works? 

We are focusing on three categories, sofas, home furniture and office furniture. From a buyer’s perspective, it’s a typical e-commerce site. We give full photographs and descriptions. If there are nick or stains, we want people to trust us as a source of quality and transparency. We have our own logistics team and can even offer same day delivery.

You might also like to learn how you can enhance your Scandinavian home with green updates. Just click the image below.

You might also be interested in reading about the world’s first recycling mall – in Sweden. Just click the image below.

What regions are you serving now and where do you hope to expand? 

Right now, we’re in Oslo and serve the greater Oslo region and a couple of other cities. We have, however, delivered furniture all over the country, but hope to expand. We must test on density and population and what kind of furniture alternatives people have.

Norwegian Start-Up Company Keeps Used Furniture Circulating in the Economy
The Secundo team

What are some of the biggest challenges you are facing?

Our biggest problem is that we are outgrowing our current storage. We’re moving to larger facilities in a few months. In our present warehouse we have to get around super small corners, doorways, stairwells, etc.

Norwegian Start-Up Company Keeps Used Furniture Circulating in the Economy, the article continues below the image. You might also like to learn how you can enhance your Scandinavian home with green updates. Just click the image below.

Norwegian Start-Up Company Keeps Used Furniture Circulating in the Economy
Learn how you can enhance your Scandinavian home with green updates.

What is the most popular furniture item?

The most popular is sofas. We have our own sofa manager. Local designers, some antique and Ikea are very common too. People like the high-low mix.

What happens if the pictures don’t match the furniture in real life? 

That is very rare. The benefit of doing everything from buying, restoring, studio photographing and describing the furniture in house is invaluable. We have vetted for quality by the pictures.

What about bed bugs? Bed bugs are scary. 

Our in-house drivers are trained to make sure things are sanitary not just against bed bugs but pet dander, dirt, cigarette smoke odor, etc. And we clean everything.

Thank you guys. Keep up the good work!

Norwegian Start-Up Company Keeps Used Furniture Circulating in the Economy
“We are focusing on three categories, sofas, home furniture and office furniture,” says Joachim Hoff (left) and Martin Eliassen.

Customers are praising Secundo.no:

“Good place to shop, also from out of town. Nice products, in good condition. Fast and well-functioning customer service with excellent follow-up also after the purchase. It is otherwise reasonably easy to get an offer for transport Oslo-Trondheim via Nimber (note: a service completely independent of Secundo).” Bjørn Odland.

Norwegian Start-Up Company Keeps Used Furniture Circulating in the Economy“Fast and good delivery, also got a quick reply to email! We bought two folding desks that are as good as new, and brilliant quality, and for a very reasonable price! Really to recommend.” Maren Høgberg.

“Bought a sofa that had been cleaned and looked like new. Ordered shipping with delivery and everything went quickly. Very satisfied!” Line Berger Husem.

Conclusion

For the time being, there aren’t any marketplaces that accomplish what Secundo.no is setting out to do at a price point that competes with Ikea, Rusta, and Jysk.

Norwegian Start-Up Company Keeps Used Furniture Circulating in the Economy, written by Tor Kjolberg.

Feature image (on top): © secundo.no
All other images (except group photo and sofa) © Daily Scandinavian/Tor Kjolberg

 

 

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Journalist, PR and marketing consultant Tor Kjolberg has several degrees in marketing management. He started out as a marketing manager in Scandinavian companies and his last engagement before going solo was as director in one of Norway’s largest corporations. Tor realized early on that writing engaging stories was more efficient and far cheaper than paying for ads. He wrote hundreds of articles on products and services offered by the companies he worked for. Thus, he was attuned to the fact that storytelling was his passion.