M&S partners with secondhand kids’ clothing platform Dotte

Marks & Spencer has become the first major retailer to join the circular economy platform Dotte. 

The company is launching a trial with the two-year-old peer-to-peer marketplace, where users can buy, sell, donate and recycle outgrown kidswear.

Platform users that list their M&S Kidswear pieces on Dotte will receive a discount on the retailer’s new stock every time their listed clothes get sold.

Whenever they sell a secondhand M&S item, they get a voucher for £5 off when they spend £25 at M&S online, for delivery or click & collect. The voucher can also be used alongside M&S’s popular three-for-two deal.

The partnership is set to launch in the Easter holidays.

“We design and make our products so that the M&S label means quality – a product that can be handed down – because we believe style shouldn’t cost the earth,” said Alice Duggan, head of M&S Kidswear.

“Pre-loved selling is a growing market and through joining the Dotte resale collective, we’re looking forward to learning more from an agile startup and supporting the circular economy.

“Through the platform we also hope to extend our customer reach, as we continue to make M&S kidswear more relevant more often for customers and become the ‘go to’ destination store and website, not just for uniform but for everyday style and value too.”

Dotte, which was founded in 2020 by Louise Weiss and Samantha Valentine, helps parents buy second-hand clothing by curating products, offering style inspiration and ideas, and incorporating brand partnerships like the latest one with M&S.

Aside from M&S, the Dotte resale collective is made up of 16 independent and sustainably-minded kidswear brands.

“Having a trusted kidswear retailer like M&S on board signals a huge step-change in the industry itself, and the fact they are rewarding their customers for selling M&S kidswear will encourage so many more families to get involved in the circular economy,” said Valentine. “We’re so pleased to welcome them.”

M&S was introduced to and has invested in the Dotte platform through its joint venture with the start-up accelerator Founder’s Factory.

The move is part of M&S’s ‘Plan A’ sustainability strategy, in which it aims to become a Scope 3 net zero business by 2040.