Kringwinkel De Cirkel

What Kringwinkel De Cirkel does

Kringwinkel De Cirkel operates as part of Kringwinkel Groep vzw, a Belgian non-profit (vzw) social enterprise that runs a regional second-hand goods and circular economy platform across Flanders. The organization operates 140 physical retail stores, a dedicated online webshop, a live auction platform, and 155 donation give-points, supplemented by clothing containers, free pickup services, and a Recupel partnership for electronic waste collection. Its product catalogue spans books, clothing, electronics, furniture, kitchenware, art, and hobby items, with auxiliary services such as household clearing, electronics repair, and clothing repair that extend the lifecycle of donated goods.

The business model is multi-channel and B2C-dominant: revenue is generated through one-time retail transactions in physical stores, the webshop, and auctions, plus gift card sales and a B2B line (Reloved) for commercial household clearing and relocation services. Goods are sourced free of charge via donations at give-points, clothing containers, free pickups, and household clearings, which are then sorted, refurbished or repaired, and resold at variable unit prices. The model is intrinsically circular: the same physical infrastructure that collects goods also resells them, with 93,700 tons of goods processed annually and 6,482 social employment positions created across the network.

The core customer segments are Flemish individual consumers seeking affordable second-hand goods (primary), donors with reusable items to dispose of (secondary), and B2B customers requiring professional clearing and repair services (tertiary). There is no disclosed venture capital, private equity, or parent company ownership; the organization is an independent vzw with social employment as a stated mission. Recent strategic actions are concentrated on channel expansion — a new webshop launched in June 2026 and three renovated stores opened in July 2026 — alongside service-line extensions in repair and B2B clearing. No AI/ML capabilities, proprietary technology platforms, patents, or external funding are disclosed in the source material.

Name

Kringwinkel De Cirkel

Legal name

Kringwinkel Groep vzw

Website

https://de-cirkel.net

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kringwinkel De Cirkel is a Belgian non-profit social enterprise operating a circular economy platform of 140 second-hand retail stores, a webshop, and an auction platform across Flanders, supporting 6,482 social employment positions and processing 93,700 tons of reusable goods annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Second-hand retail

NAICS

Used Merchandise Retailers (459510), Used Merchandise Retailers (4595), Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Miscellaneous Retailers (459)

akta.pro primary industry

Peer-to-Peer (C2C) Resale Marketplaces (CRAFAGAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Books, Media, Games & Hobbies C2C (CRAFAKAH)

Keywords

• Second-hand retail
• Circular economy services
• Reuse and recycling
• Thrift store network
• Textile collection services

Headquarters

HQ city

Gent

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Retail Sales - Physical Stores: Revenue generated from the sale of second-hand goods including books, clothing, electronics, furniture, and household items across 140 physical Kringwinkel retail locations throughout Flanders.
2. Webshop Sales: Online sales of second-hand goods through the Kringwinkel webshop platform, enabling customers to purchase items remotely.
3. Auction (Veiling): Live auction platform where second-hand items including books, electronics, clothing, kitchenware, art, furniture, and hobby items are sold to the highest bidder.
4. Gift Vouchers (Cadeaubon): Sale of gift vouchers which can be redeemed across all Kringwinkel stores and webshop.
5. B2B Services (Reloved): Business-to-business services including furniture and household clearing services for companies and individuals, and electronics repair services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Kringwinkel De Cirkel is a member store of Kringwinkel Groep vzw, a Belgian non-profit that collects, sorts, repairs, and resells donated reusable goods through 140 physical stores, an online webshop, and a live auction platform across Flanders. Core inventory includes second-hand books, clothing, consumer electronics, furniture, and household items. Complementary paid services include professional household clearing, electronics repair, clothing repair, and guided facility tours, with B2B services offered through the Reloved brand.

Product overview

Kringwinkel operates as a second-hand goods retail and circular economy organization with a multi-channel platform. The core offerings consist of physical retail stores (140 Kringwinkels), an online Webshop for second-hand products, and a live Auction platform for bidding on items. Products span electronics (washing machines, dryers), books (fiction, cookbooks, children's books, travel guides), and clothing (men's, women's, unisex). Supporting services include donation points (Geefpunten), clothing containers, free pickup services (Ophalingen), household clearing (Inboedel opruimen), electronics repair, and clothing repair. The organization also offers gift cards (Cadeaubon) and B2B services through Reloved. With 155 give points and 93,700 tons/year of collected goods, the network provides sustainable shopping alternatives while supporting 6,482 jobs in social employment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Webshop Online retail platform enabling customers in Flanders to purchase second-hand goods including electronics, books, and clothing over the internet.
• Veiling (Auction) Live auction platform where customers can bid on second-hand items across categories including books, electronics, clothing, kitchen items, art, furniture, and hobbies.
• Cadeaubon (Gift Card) Sustainable, locally focused gift voucher that can be purchased and redeemed across Kringwinkel physical stores and the webshop.
• Inboedel opruimen (Household Clearing) Professional service to clear and declutter entire households (including estates and relocations), with reusable items collected for donation and resale.
• Herstellen van elektro (Electronics Repair) Repair service for second-hand electrical appliances (such as washing machines and dryers) to extend product lifecycle before resale.
• Herstellen van kleding (Clothing Repair) Repair service for clothing items to extend their usability and reduce textile waste.
• Rondleidingen (Tours) Guided tours of Kringwinkel facilities to educate visitors about second-hand goods operations and sustainability practices.
• Reloved (B2B Service) Business-to-business service under Kringwinkel Groep for commercial partnerships in second-hand goods, including professional household clearing, furniture removal, and estate management for companies and individuals.

Quantifiable outcome

• 93,700 tons of goods collected and redirected from waste stream annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Spullenhulp: Flemish nonprofit operating secondhand retail stores for people in poverty. Closely comparable to Kringwinkel in geographic footprint, donation-based inventory, and social employment model.
• Les Petits Riens: Belgian nonprofit secondhand retail chain operating in Brussels and other Belgian regions. Comparable to Kringwinkel through physical store-based resale of donated goods and social inclusion employment mission.
• Momox: German-based online reseller of used books, media, and clothing via buyback. Comparable to Kringwinkel's book and media resale channels as a large-scale second-hand books/media operator.
• Humana Secondhand: Belgian/Flemish secondhand retailer with a network of thrift stores across the region. Directly comparable to Kringwinkel in store-based resale of donated clothing, household items, and accessories, with similar social mission positioning.
• Oxfam-Magasins du Monde (Belgium): Belgian fair-trade and secondhand retail network run by Oxfam. Comparable to Kringwinkel in nonprofit retail with multiple physical stores, donation flows, and sustainability mission.

Emerging players

• Vinted: Major European online P2P resale marketplace headquartered in Lithuania, very active in Belgium. Competes with Kringwinkel for secondhand consumer mindshare and potentially diverts donation supply to direct-to-consumer online resale.
• Sellpy (H&M Group): Sweden-based online secondhand marketplace owned by H&M Group. Comparable to Kringwinkel's clothing resale channel and a relevant competitor for secondhand consumer demand in Europe.

Broad incumbents

• thredUP: Large US-based online resale platform for secondhand clothing. Comparable to Kringwinkel's clothing resale motion at scale, though operating purely online rather than via physical stores.
• Goodwill Industries International: Largest nonprofit network of thrift stores globally with a mission of social employment. Closely comparable to Kringwinkel in combining second-hand retail with workforce inclusion for disadvantaged populations.
• The RealReal: US-based online consignment marketplace for authenticated luxury secondhand goods. Comparable to Kringwinkel's auction and higher-end resale effort via the Veiling platform.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kringwinkel-de-cirkel

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

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