Recycled clothing, a popular informal business in the Pacific Islands, has become a highly-organised industry across the region and now in Tonga.

A new business venture by the 'Uta'atu family, called Value City (Tonga) Ltd. that opened in Nuku'alofa on Saturday is the latest in a chain of locally-owned recycled goods warehouses operating across five Pacific countries. Quality clothing and other goods such as children's toys, books, shoes, accessories and jewelery are bulk sourced from Australia.

The Managing Director of Value City (Tonga) Ltd., Mrs Christine 'Uta'atu, said the name is franchised from the successful Value City quality used clothing warehouses and shops running for 25 years in Fiji. Value City is the largest dealer of recycled goods in Fiji and the name has extended to Kiribasi, Samoa and the Solomons, where businesses are all locally owned but are able to get value from the scale of networking and bulk buying under the franchise.

The new business in Tonga is located in Wellington Road in the CBD, where they have renovated an upper floor warehouse located in the E. M. Jones Ltd. premises. Christine invested in clothes racks, bales racks and over 10,000 clothes hangers. With the help of Vera Chute from Value City Fiji, they have set up stock control and management systems, including sophisticated wireless shop surveillance.

The business employs seven staff with General Manager Siosaia 'Uta'atu.

Christine said she got the idea for the business while she was representing Women in Sustainable Enterprises, WISE (Tonga), at a women's business meeting in Fiji that looked at the value of niche markets. The owner of Value City Fiji gave a presentation at the meeting

“I was surprised that the used clothing business was doing so well,” said Christine, a Nuku'alofa chartered accountant.

With the encouragement and help of Vera, a co-owner of the Australian supplier, Christine said they decided to open the business in Tonga. Three of the staff, including an experienced clothing retailer Seini Kwok, went to Fiji for six weeks for training in the Fiji operation.

The business was opened by the Minister of Lands, Lord Ma'afu on August 22.