Gadget shops to be run like car dealerships

This just into the Greenbang inbox…

Currys is going to do part exchanges on electrical goods.

It’s a great business idea, but does it encourage people to make the most of their products and squeeze the maximum out of the lifecycle?

Greenbang doesn’t think you can label this as green – it’s more like the used-car dealership strategy. It still encourages a high turnover of goods.

Think about it – if everything has to go through recycling anyway, how is this any better for the environment? What it will do is make people think there’s money in recycling and part-exchanging old products…

Then again, if it encourages an industry for recycling, then all the better. A double-edged sword.

This bit if from the PR company…

“Good Morning

Our client Currys, the electrical retailer, has today launched the Currys Go Green initiative, offering customers who bring in end of life kitchen appliances for recycling, £30 off a wide range of more eco friendly ones. I have attached the full press release below, along with my contact details should you have any further queries or require more information. I hope this is suitable for uploading onto your website and look forward to speaking to you soon.”

So here is the uploaded press release – well a bit of it anyway…

“Feedback from Currys customers has revealed that the escalating cost of living has left many families struggling to make ends meet. Price hikes by the UK’s leading energy suppliers has left  households facing energy bills of over £40 per month, an increase of as much as 15% on last year. Currys estimates that families could save as much as £250 per year on their utility bills by switching to more energy efficient products.

The launch of the green discount marks the first anniversary of Currys in-store recycling scheme which saw Currys become the first electrical retailer to offer customers free in-store recycling on all unwanted electrical products. Launched to coincide with the Government’s ‘Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive’ (WEEE Directive), Currys has recycled over 20,000 tonnes of end-of-life electrical products in the last 12 months.

Peter Keenan, MD, Currys, comments: “We have been delighted by the customer response to our in-store recycling scheme. Our experience is that recycling and disposal tend to coincide with replacement so we hope that by offering a discount we will encourage our customers to not only recycle their old product but to choose a more energy efficient replacement.”

The launch of the discount scheme is the latest in a number of environmentally friendly moves from Currys. Earlier this year the retailer announced it was to stop selling patio heaters and it has also phased out the sale of conventional light bulbs across all of its 550 stores.

Question for Currys – what is your carbon footprint?