Asda customers can recycle old phones and CDs for cash

The deal will see the roll-out of musicMagpie's SMARTDrop kiosks across Asda stores, allowing customers to sell pre-owned mobile phones. In addition, Asda customers will be able to buy and sell pre-owned consumer technology and media items with musicMagpie through the Asda website and mobile app.

This will be a continuation of musicMagpie’s pre-existing relationship with Leeds-based Asda, whereby musicMagpie’s pre-owned DVDs and CDs have been available to buy in Asda stores since August 2020.

SMARTDrop kiosks will be rolled out to nearly 300 Asda stores in 2022, following a successful trial involving 15 kiosks across the Asda estate since November 2020.

The kiosks offer a fast, easy and free way to recycle unwanted phones for instant cash. They allow a customer to bring in their old phone, receive a valuation and get paid instantly with money transferred directly to the customer's bank or PayPal account.

So far, 3,000 smartphones have been traded in through musicMagpie’s kiosks, paying out over £800,000 instantly to customers.

The completion of the Asda roll-out will mean that 90 per cent of the population in the UK will live within a 15 minute drive of a SMARTDrop kiosk.

Research from the trial has shown that 70 per cent of the customers who came into a store to use a kiosk had not shopped at Asda before, and that 24 per cent of customers using a kiosk went on to make a purchase whilst in store.

The new agreement means that Asda customers will now be able to buy and sell refurbished consumer technology products, such as mobile phones and tablets, as well as pre-owned entertainment products with musicMagpie through the Asda website and mobile app.

When selling, the items can then be dropped off by the customer at any Asda store, from where they are transferred to musicMagpie using Asda’s “toyou” service.

Matt Harrison, senior director of partnerships at Asda, said: “Our exclusive partnership with musicMagpie has been developed with the long term view in mind and it is fantastic to see this vision achieved through a wider roll out in Asda stores.

"From the start, the team at musicMagpie have shared our philosophy of testing and learning through trials in our stores, with the ability to quickly understand what works and scale.

“The launch of 295 SMARTDrop kiosks and an affiliate site where customers can buy and sell technology via Asda.com will prevent e-waste going to landfill, as well as save shoppers time and money.

“As we continue to deliver on our partnership strategy and develop our partner ‘ecosystem’, we hope to create more opportunities to offer customers access to the products and services they want in more convenient locations.”

Steve Oliver, chief executive and co-founder of musicMagpie, added: “We are thrilled that a business of Asda’s prestige and national reach has recognised the value of musicMagpie’s unique circular economy model, and is now prepared to scale up our partnership so decisively and quickly.

"Our research shows that the average UK household has 11 items of unused consumer technology lying around, totalling an astonishing £16.5bn. Both the SMARTDrop kiosks and the new affiliate agreement will allow Asda customers to free up cash and declutter their homes.

“The extension of our partnership with Asda will help us to achieve our clear strategic goal of ‘buy more, sell more, rent more’ by making it even easier for consumers to sell to musicMagpie and make a decision that is both smart for them and smart for the planet.”