TOMO circular department store
The world’s first department store to bring together sustainable products and circular services
TOMO, a new department store with a social and sustainable mission, opened its doors at Westfield Mall of the Netherlands in Leidschendam last Saturday 18 March. The retail chain is the first in the world to offer a wide range of over 80 different sustainable fashion, beauty and lifestyle brands combined with personalised service and circular services – spread over almost 1,000m2 of retail space. In doing so, TOMO creates the most sustainable shopping experience possible. TOMO focuses on circularity by offering in-store re-commerce services such as Resell, Rent, Refill and Repair, which are services that extend the life of products.
Innovative department store TOMO offers a diverse range of sustainable products within the fashion, beauty and lifestyle segments in their physical shop and online. Coming from more than 80 different national and international brands, such as fashion label Dedicated, Lanius, Ivy & Oak and MUD jeans, home care brand Kinfill and 3D printing design studio UAU project, among others. Besides established brands, TOMO aims to be a place where emerging mission-driven brands also get a chance at an A-location. Everything sold at TOMO is carefully selected and produced as responsibly as possible. In this way, TOMO makes sustainable choices easier for a wide audience of consumers.
TOMO works with a circular retail model, which is reflected in the offering of brands, services and the interior of the physical shop.
It focuses on circularity by, among other things, offering ReCommerce services in the shop, which are services that keep products and materials in circulation for as long as possible in a variety of ways. Examples include Resell, an area of the shop where vintage clothes are sold, curated by partner The Next Closet. And Rent, where clothes are rented out in different sizes in collaboration with partner &-Onwards. Visitors can also use Repair, a workshop where you get a five-year free repair guarantee on purchased items. Reuse, where clothes are given a new life by being handed in – in collaboration with partner Drop & Loop. Partner Wolkat then processes this into new materials and products. Finally Refill, where packaging of hand soap and shampoo – previously purchased from TOMO, can be refilled. And where the world’s first Dopper tap will be found in a retail environment, this is an interactive water tap that communicates with customers and positively encourages them to (re)fill a reusable water bottle. In addition, consumers can visit TOMO for personal advice by one of the many employees in the department store.
The interior of the 1,000 m2 shop was also created in the most sustainable way possible by using 95% sustainable and circular materials. This included the introduction of innovative circular materials made from residual products from the food industry such as egg shells and fish scales. TOMO is also the first fashion retailer where all light fixtures are 3D printed from 65% recycled materials, in collaboration with partner Signify.
TOMO was founded by Marjan Haselhoff, her idea arose in 2020 from the need to create a place where many beautiful sustainable and responsible brands came together in an inspiring environment. With the help of various investment partners such as EK Retail (founding investor), Rabobank, Triodos bank, Building Better Worlds and Johan Dekker, among others, TOMO could become a reality.