E-Bay, Kijiji, or Marketplace are all online resale platforms for used goods to consumers. Golf Avenue , created in 2006, chose to professionalize the concept by offering an evaluation and security system that did not exist. It diversified and created the vertical company Cycling Avenue . Outdoor enthusiasts can sell, exchange or buy their equipment at a fair price and get paid in cash, in Golf Avenue credits or in one of the 350 stores that are part of its network.

Two young visionaries facing the possibilities of digital technology

Pierre-Luc Laparé and Marc-Antoine Bovet, whose last name is not unknown in the business world, are two long-time friends who studied together at HEC and share a passion for golf. When they entered a Golf Town one day, they came across a bargain: $300 putters reduced to $50. That was all it took for the youngsters to motivate them: "We should be able to resell them for $100 on eBay!" 150 clubs later, resold with a considerable margin, the two friends had identified an opportunity. At 18, Pierre-Luc and Marc-Antoine launched into online resale and created Golf Avenue .

They built a business network with independent stores of a golf equipment chain, buying up demonstrators and unsold items that were left behind, as well as used items bought from customers to be resold in exchange for credit for new items. For a little over four years, the story continued on eBay and Amazon, platforms that were still young, where there was little competition. Golf Avenue's business model was unique: "buy a used product, inspect it and recondition it, evaluate it at a fair price and take a photo of it to resell it, quite a logistical complexity!", shares Pierre-Luc. Each product is different, unlike uniform merchandise that can be promoted without being detailed by piece. The goal is to professionalize the purchasing experience to the same level as that of new items."

While a system had to be set up in the warehouse, it also had to be computerized fairly quickly. “When the manager came to tell us that our business had become too big and that they had an official agreement for their unsold items with an American company, we said to ourselves that it was time to launch our own platform,” explains Pierre-Luc. A new developer partner and web specialists were gradually added. Creating their own technological platform, Golf 99, and developing the right algorithms became essential so that retailers could quickly know the price at which Golf Avenue would buy back their clubs. The company has been immersed in digital technology since its creation: re-marketing, re-targeting and re-commercialization have been its strengths. Of the 11 stores that had been doing business with them since 2006, 43 others across Canada were added when in 2010, the young entrepreneurs managed to convince the chain to enter into a partnership, a key moment in the history of their expansion.

A market to seize and exponential growth

Since then, the company has taken off. Its growth, until recently, was 100% organic, in the order of 40 to 50% per year. For the past three years, to continue to grow, it has expanded its way of sourcing, from individuals. In one year, this market has increased tenfold. The company, known for the sale of used products, is now also known for purchasing. More than 1 million customers and some 75,000 new and used products are offered by Golf Avenue on its various platforms.

Recently, Pierre-Luc took a step back to reflect on what made him strong: "it's this ability to have succeeded in creating a technological platform that didn't exist, and still doesn't exist, because there is nothing that allows you to have hundreds of thousands of buyers and sellers on the same site." Beyond golf, his business vision has opened up to becoming the largest online retailer of second-hand products. The entrepreneur has taken the gamble of becoming the world's leading e-commerce platform in the circular economy.

This concept, which is now trendy, has always been at the heart of Golf Avenue's purpose, but had not been put forward until then. Two and a half years ago, the co-founder realized the scale of what he had set up and attracted investors. He was able to buy the English world player Golf Bidder , and launched a new vertical, Cycling Avenue, which is booming across the country. The thinking has begun to open the Cycling market to the United States and Europe. And why not include other sports and make other acquisitions? The company is on its way.

In 2020, it grew from 23 employees to 125 in the Montreal office, with 47 employees to be recruited in the coming months. The three brands are now united under the same banner that officially makes the circular economy its business model and which will be launched soon this fall. Growth to follow in the end…