Online marketplace Refurbed has teamed up with consumer electronics company TekEir to offer refurbished devices in Ireland, its first Irish merchant and a further commitment to the company’s operation here.
The partnership with Laois-based TekEir will see it carry out Refurbed’s 40-step refurbishment process here, reducing both delivery times and carbon footprint for Irish consumers.
The deal will also enabled Irish devices to be sold across 13 European countries, broadening TekEir’s market.
Pádraig Power, marketing manager of Refurbed Ireland said the deal would strengthen the marketplace’s Irish presence, and demonstrated the interest that Irish consumers have in refurbished electronics.
“It will bring a lot more products and stock to Refurbed, but specifically for the Irish consumer base,” he said. “One of the things that we’ve found is although we have loads of stock a lot of refurbishers don’t want to ship to Ireland because it’s overseas. Now that we have TekEir on board, it means all of the stuff they have is available to all of our Irish consumers. They will get it faster and there is increased stock.”
The announcement was made to coincide with Ireland’s Earth Overshoot Day, when consumption of raw materials exceed what can be covered by the formation of new resources.
TekEir is also set to expand its capacity for refurbishing electronics, bringing in some automated machinery to scale its capabilities.
“By offering high-quality refurbished tech products on refurbed’s platform, we’re not only providing affordable and sustainable options for consumers, but also contributing to the reduction of carbon emissions and waste,” said TekEir co-founder and head of operations Peter Walsh. “This partnership is a step towards strengthening sustainability within Ireland and creating a positive impact on the environment.”
Founded in 2017 by Peter Windischhofer, Kilian Kaminski and Jürgen Riedl, Refurbed launched in Ireland in March 2021, following a $17 million (€14.3 million) Series A raise in 2020, and aimed to tap into a growing interest in Ireland in more environmentally conscious, affordable technology. In recent months it has teamed up with 48 to offer the mobile network’s customers more sustainable, cheaper smartphones, expanded its product offering to include a range of home appliances and refurbished games consoles, and begun offering a business to business service to Irish companies.
