Lundrigo to Enter Secondhand Clothing Market Within the Year
Setakteukgongdae Also Preparing Secondhand Clothing Sales Service
Startups competing in the mobile laundry market are increasingly entering the secondhand clothing business. These companies, which have brought innovation to the traditionally offline laundry market through contactless services that handle everything from collection to washing and delivery via mobile applications, are now expanding their businesses to compete again in the secondhand clothing market. The main reason for this expansion is that they already possess the core capabilities needed for the secondhand clothing business, such as laundry factories and logistics systems.
On the 17th, Uisikju Company, which operates the mobile laundry service 'Laundrigo,' announced plans to enter the secondhand clothing sector within the year. Uisikju Company is preparing a secondhand clothing marketplace to fully launch this business area and is also planning investments for this purpose. It is expected that the company will pursue this business by purchasing secondhand clothes, then washing and repairing them before resale.
The infrastructure is already in place. They operate smart factories specialized in laundry in three locations: Gangseo and Seongsu in Seoul, and Gunpo in Gyeonggi Province. They also have their own logistics network capable of collecting and delivering laundry within a day across Seoul and major metropolitan areas. Through previous investments, they are now prepared to purchase products in the secondhand clothing market, wash them thoroughly, and deliver them quickly. CEO Cho Sung-woo of Uisikju Company said, "Over the past four years, we have invested in IT technology and infrastructure to evolve into a comprehensive laundry company," adding, "We will continue to do our best to grow as a global company that creates continuous innovation for the enriched lives of busy modern people, which is Uisikju Company's vision."
Another mobile laundry service, Washiswat, which operates 'Laundry Special Forces,' is also preparing a secondhand clothing sales service. To this end, they conducted a first pilot service called 'Sell My Clothes' last year. They aimed to recruit 1,000 secondhand sellers, but achieved 350% of the target within just five days of launch, confirming the business potential. Additional pilot services are planned for this year as well.
Besides the secondhand clothing business driven by recruiting sellers, they are also considering a business focused on resource recycling. This is why they recently started a used clothing collection service. Currently, when laundry is collected, customers can also hand over used clothes, which are collected together and rewarded with points. They explained that in the future, they are considering a service that washes, repairs, or reforms the collected clothes before selling them.
An industry insider said, "Mobile laundry services have been steadily reviewing commerce functions utilizing their logistics networks," adding, "Secondhand clothing is a business area that can be expanded based on existing core infrastructure, and early profitability can be expected, so companies will continue to compete with differentiated strategies."
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