JBC trials repair service in Antwerp store

Belgian fashion chain JBC has opened a new store on Antwerp’s main shopping street Meir today, focusing on sustainability. A novelty is the Repair Corner.

Repairs from 1.5 euros

Using the slogan “Clothing only becomes waste if you fail to do anything with it”, spokesperson Katrien Vangrunderbeeck says this sustainable step is a logical move for a family-owned store like JBC. Customers can bring their old clothes to the store, where small repairs (like replacing a button or a zipper) can be done on the spot – sometimes for as little as 1.5 euros. Are the goods too damaged, then shoppers can either give them to charity, or – in the worst case – put them in the bin to be shredded and reused as ground material for new shopping bags.

The store also has a corner to have baby clothing personalised with an embroidered name and a corner that sells products by local brands like Brauzz, Nanex and Guppy friend, that should help items of clothing last longer. Despite being most famous for its stores in retail parks along thoroughfares, JBC will also make use of options in city centres should they present themselves. “We also opened a new store on Mechelen’s shopping street Bruul”, Vangrunderbeeck points out. As of today, JBC has 115 stores in Belgium and Luxembourg.