AMOS
AMOS is a French non-profit founded in 1994 in Mérignac that collects, sorts, and resells donated second-hand textiles through four boutiques, one supermarket concession, and a Vinted shop in the Bordeaux metro area, while running a professional-insertion programme employing ~50 people per year.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1994
- HeadquartersMérignac, France
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What AMOS does
AMOS is a French non-profit association (association loi 1901) founded in 1994 in Mérignac, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, operating a vertically integrated textile circular-economy and professional-insertion enterprise in the Bordeaux metropolitan area. It collects donated clothing, shoes, home linens, accessories, toys, and books through 35 municipal collection points serviced twice weekly, then sorts them at its Mérignac centre de tri (staffed by 8 qualified sorters processing ~5 tonnes per week). Approximately 20% of incoming textiles are routed to direct reuse through four physical boutiques (Sainte-Catherine, Counord, Menuts, Arès), one in-store concession at Auchan Mériadeck, and a Vinted online shop; the remainder flows to recycling and upcycling partners. Total annual throughput reached 250 tonnes in 2024.
The association runs a professional-insertion (IAE) programme that employs people distanced from the labour market on CDDI contracts of up to two years, training them in textile sorting, retail sales, and driver-delivery roles; roughly 50 individuals enter the pathway annually. The 2024-launched Restylé service adds free personal styling and image consulting across all boutiques, doubling as both a customer differentiator and an internal training curriculum. A partnership with fashion school IBSM (since 2022) supports up-cycling projects.
AMOS is financed through second-hand retail sales (per-kilo pricing at €8 standard and €15 vintage, with €2 promotional items), financial donations from individuals and corporates, and IAE-related public support; no external equity funding is reported. The 24–40-person organisation is led by Directrice Françoise Hoareau and operates under the founding sponsorship of Secours Catholique (Caritas France) and Entraide Protestante, with municipal partnerships spanning Bordeaux, Mérignac, Le Haillan, Le Taillan-Médoc, Gradignan, and Saint-Médard-en-Jalles.
AMOS firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- AMOS
- Legal name
- AMOS
- Website
- https://amos.asso.fr
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1994
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- AMOS is a French non-profit founded in 1994 in Mérignac that collects, sorts, and resells donated second-hand textiles through four boutiques, one supermarket concession, and a Vinted shop in the Bordeaux metro area, while running a professional-insertion programme employing ~50 people per year.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
AMOS industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Second-hand Clothing Retail
- NAICS
- Used Merchandise Retailers (459510)
- SIC
- Retail-Family Clothing Stores (5651)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Donation, Resale & Textile Recycling Coordination (HSAFABAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Reuse & Resale / Recommerce Operations (EUAIANAC), Textile & Apparel Sorting/Recovery Facilities (EUAIADAJ), Product Take-Back & Reverse Logistics Programs (EUAIANAA)
Keywords
Where AMOS is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Mérignac
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices7 records
Markets served
AMOS business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Vente de vêtements et articles de seconde main: Proceeds from selling donated second-hand clothing, shoes, home linens, accessories, toys, and books in AMOS's four boutiques and one in-store location. Prices are kept low (per-kilo sales, 2€ per item promotions) to maximize accessibility and volume sold. Revenue funds operational costs including salaries and charges.
- Financial donations: Individual and corporate financial donations support AMOS's professional insertion programs and operational development, including tool investment, staff training, and partnership development.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard per-kilo pricing — 8€ per kilo |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Vintage clothing — 15€ per kilo |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Promotional sale — 2€ per item |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
AMOS product offering
Product offeringCore offering
AMOS operates as a solidarity-based thrift store association that collects donated second-hand textiles from the Bordeaux metropolitan area, sorts them at a Mérignac center, and resells them through physical boutiques and online channels. Proceeds and associated activities fund professional insertion programs for people distant from employment. The model integrates a social mission (workforce reintegration), an environmental mission (circular economy / textile reuse), and a commercial mission (affordable fashion retail).
Product overview
AMOS is a solidarity-based thrift store association operating as a network of physical retail boutiques combined with professional integration services. The core offering consists of five physical boutiques (Menuts, Counord, Arès, Sainte-Catherine, and an Auchan Mériadeck in-store boutique) selling second-hand clothing, shoes, accessories, home linens, toys, and decoration. These are supported by a textile sorting center in Mérignac, a clothing collection service with 34-35 drop-off points across the Bordeaux metropolitan area, and periodic 'vente au kilo' (weight-based sales) events. Online presence includes a Vinted store for vintage clothing. All commercial activities fund the association's professional integration program, which employs people distanced from employment in roles including textile sorting agents, retail sales staff, and driver-deliverers. The 2024 Restylé service adds free personal image consulting to the offering, enhancing both customer experience and employee skill development.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Friperies Solidaires (Solidarity Thrift Boutiques)
Quantifiable outcome
- 250 tonnes of textiles collected and reused annually, diverting waste from landfills
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use AMOS
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
AMOS technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AMOS partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered moderate, core and minor.
- IBSM (Institut Bordelais de Stylisme et de Mode)moderatePartnership with IBSM (Institut Bordelais de Stylisme et de Mode) starting in 2022 to develop up-cycling projects. Students collaborate with AMOS on creative textile reuse initiatives, combining fashion design expertise with AMOS's material supply and professional insertion mission.
- Communes of the Bordeaux metropolitan areacorePartner municipalities host collection points and support textile collection logistics. AMOS collects from 35 points across partner communes weekly. Includes Bordeaux, Mérignac, Le Haillan, Le Taillan-Médoc, Gradignan, and Saint-Médard-en-Jalles. Two insertion employees are trained as drivers through this network.
- Secours Catholique and Entraide ProtestantecoreCo-founders of AMOS in 1994. Both are major French social welfare organizations (Secours Catholique is Caritas France; Entraide Protestante is a Protestant mutual aid organization). Their founding support established AMOS as a social insertion enterprise.
- Recycling and upcycling partner structuresminorArticles not suitable for direct resale in AMOS boutiques are redistributed to partner structures for recycling, art, or upcycling projects. This completes the circular economy loop for textiles that cannot be reused directly.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves11 records
Expansion highlights5 records
AMOS competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Vestiaire Collective: Global peer-to-peer resale platform focused on premium and luxury second-hand fashion. Competes for the same Bordeaux consumer second-hand spend as AMOS's vintage and Sainte-Catherine boutique, but in a higher-price digital category.
- Vinted: Europe's largest C2C second-hand fashion marketplace; AMOS itself operates a Vinted shop. Competes for Bordeaux-area consumers and donors with a vastly broader digital selection and lower transaction friction.
Direct peers
- Emmaüs: France's flagship social-economy network, operating Emmaüs Alternatives insertion enterprises and second-hand stores nationwide. Directly comparable to AMOS in mission (insertion + textile reuse) and operating model, though far larger and multi-region.
- Croix-Rouge Française: Operates Vestiboutiques and other second-hand retail channels nationwide funded by donations. Comparable social-mission second-hand retail format, though not textile-specialized.
- Secours Populaire Français: Major French charity operating bric-à-brac and thrift boutiques funded by donations. Comparable mission (social welfare funded by second-hand sales) and retail format, though textile collection is not its core specialization.
- Tissons!: French cooperative network specialized in textile collection, sorting, and recycling with social-economy employment missions. Closely comparable on the collection/sorting side of AMOS's operations, though more B2B-recycling oriented.
- Le Relais France: Social enterprise specialized in textile collection, sorting, and resale with insertion programs across France. Closest functional peer to AMOS — comparable collection-network model, sorting-center operations, and thrift retail.
Others
- Refashion: French eco-organization operating the textile Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme. Not a competitor but a structural counterparty — increasingly relevant to AMOS's municipal collection revenue and regulatory exposure.
Emerging players
- Patatam: French second-hand children's clothing specialist with a buy-back model. Comparable circular-fashion and donation-driven model, but narrower category (kidswear) and digital-only distribution.
- Once Again: French brand producing upcycled textile products from post-consumer clothing. Comparable on the upcycling/upcycling-partnership dimension that AMOS explores through IBSM, but operating as a finished-goods brand rather than collection-and-resale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
AMOS social profiles
Digital presenceAMOS financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
AMOS leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
AMOS funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
AMOS M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about AMOS
What does AMOS do?
AMOS operates as a solidarity-based thrift store association that collects donated second-hand textiles from the Bordeaux metropolitan area, sorts them at a Mérignac center, and resells them through physical boutiques and online channels. Proceeds and associated activities fund professional insertion programs for people distant from employment. The model integrates a social mission (workforce reintegration), an environmental mission (circular economy / textile reuse), and a commercial mission (affordable fashion retail).
Is AMOS a public or private company?
AMOS is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was AMOS founded?
AMOS was founded in 1994. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is AMOS based?
AMOS is headquartered in Mérignac, France, in the Europe region.
How does AMOS make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Vente de vêtements et articles de seconde main is the primary driver. The others are financial donations.
Who are AMOS's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Vestiaire Collective and Vinted. Direct peers are Emmaüs, Croix-Rouge Française, Secours Populaire Français, Tissons! and Le Relais France. Refashion is listed as an others. Emerging players are Patatam and Once Again.
Does AMOS have an API?
No public API is recorded for AMOS.
What industry is AMOS in?
AMOS's product category is Second-hand Clothing Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSAFABAI, Donation, Resale & Textile Recycling Coordination, with a secondary code of EUAIANAC, Reuse & Resale / Recommerce Operations. Its NAICS code is 459510 and its SIC code is 5651.