Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this
article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and
removed. (July 2013)
IKEA
Type
Private
Industry
Retail
Founded
Founder
Ingvar Kamprad
Headquarters
Delft,[1] Netherlands
Area served
Europe
Asia
North America
Oceania
Africa
Atlantic
Key people
Peter Agnefjll
(Chairman and CEO)
Products
Self-assembly furniture
Revenue
Operating income
Net income
Total assets
Total equity
Owner
Number of employees
147,000 (2014)[2]
Website
www.ikea.com
IKEA (/aki/; Swedish: [kea][3]) is a multinational group of companies that designs and
sells ready-to-assemble furniture (such asbeds, chairs and desks), appliances, small motor
vehicles and home accessories. As of January 2008, it is the world's largest furniture retailer.
[4]
Founded in Sweden in 1943 by then-17-year-old Ingvar Kamprad, who was listed as one of the
world's richest people in 2013,[5] the company's name is an acronym that consists of the initials
of Ingvar Kamprad, Elmtaryd (the farm where he grew up), and Agunnaryd (his hometown
in Smland, south Sweden).[6] The company is known for its modern architectural designs for
various types of appliances and furniture, and its interior design work is often associated with
an eco-friendly simplicity.[7] In addition, the firm is known for its attention to cost control,
operational details, and continuous product development, corporate attributes that allowed IKEA
to lower its prices by an average of two to three percent over the decade to 2010 during a period
of global expansion. The IKEA group has a complex corporate structure and is controlled by
several foundations based in the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein. [8]
As of August 2015, IKEA owns and operates 373 stores in 47 countries. [9] In fiscal year
2010, US$23.1 billion worth of goods were sold, a total that represented a 7.7 percent increase
over 2009.[10] The IKEA website contains about 12,000 products and is the closest representation
of the entire IKEA range. There were over 470 million visitors to IKEA's websites in the year from
September 2007 to September 2008.[11] The company is responsible for approximately 1% of
world commercial-product wood consumption, making it one of the largest users of wood in the
retail sector.[12]
Contents
[hide]
1History
2Store design
2.1Layout
2.2Food markets
2.3Smland
3.1Furniture
3.2.1Solar PV systems
3.3Retail
3.4Family Mobile
3.5Manufacturing
History[edit]
3.6Product names
3.7Catalogue
4Corporate structure
o
4.1Profits
4.2Control by Kamprad
4.3Charitable giving
4.4Minimum Wage
6Environmental performance
8Criticisms
o
8.4Labor issues
8.5Operation Scandinavica
8.7Verdana typeface
9Advertising
10Other ventures
11Awards
13References
14External links
The first IKEA store, located inlmhult in Sweden, not far from where the founder was born.
The world's largest IKEA store located near the KTX Gwangmyeong Station in Seoul Capital Area, South
Korea.
The world's second largest IKEA store, situated at Kungens Kurva inHuddinge Municipality, Sweden. This
IKEA store was opened in 1965.
IKEA store at Port Island in Kobe, Japan, one of the very few IKEA stores with direct mass transit access.
Entrance to an IKEA store at the 4th floor of MegaBox in Kowloon Bay, Hong Kong.
An IKEA 4.5 Museum display at the outer precinct of the Meiji Shrine inTokyo, Japan.
Ingvar Kamprad founded IKEA in 1943 as a mostly mail-order sales business. It began to sell
furniture five years later.[10] The first Mbel-IKA store was opened in lmhult, Smland, in 1958,
while the first stores outside Sweden were opened in Norway (1963) and Denmark (1969). The
stores spread to other parts of Europe in the 1970s, with the first store
outsideScandinavia opening in Switzerland (1973), followed by West Germany (1974).
Amid a high level of success, the company's West German executives accidentally opened a
store in Konstanz in 1973 instead of Koblenz.[10] Later that decade, stores opened in other parts
of the world, such as Japan (1974), Australia and Hong Kong (1975), Canada (1976), and
Singapore (1978).[citation needed] IKEA further expanded in the 1980s, opening stores in countries such
as France and Spain (1981), Canada (1982), Belgium (1984), the United States (1985), the
United Kingdom (1987), Italy (1989).[citation needed] The company then expanded into more countries in
the 1990s and 2000s. Germany, with 50 stores, is IKEA's biggest market, followed by the United
States, with 42 stores. At the end of the 2009 financial year, the IKEA group operated 267 stores
in 25 countries.[13] The first IKEA store in Latin America opened on 17 February 2010 in Santo
Domingo, Dominican Republic.[14][15] As of July 2013, the company's presence in developing
countries remains minimal.
The world's five largest IKEA stores are:
1. Gwangmyeong, Seoul Capital Area, South Korea:
59,000 m2 (640,000 sq ft)
2. Stockholm Kungens Kurva, Sweden:
55,200 m2 (594,000 sq ft)
3. Shanghai Baoshan, China: 55,032 m2 (592,360 sq ft)
4. Shanghai Pudong Beicai, China: 49,400 m2 (532,000 sq ft)
5. Wuxi, China: 49,117 m2 (528,690 sq ft)
The largest store in the Southern Hemisphere is located in Tempe, Sydney, Australia with a total
area of 39,000 m2 (420,000 sq ft).[16]The biggest store in North America is located in Montreal, in
the province of Quebec, Canada. The store was opened in 1986 in the Ville-St-Laurent area, and
was completely renovated and expanded in 2012-2013. Built in 1986, the store's initial area was
22,062 m2(237,470 sq ft), while the renovated store now measures 43,636 m2 (469,690 sq ft).
In 2014, IKEA opened its first warehouse in Croatia, near Zagreb.[17] Due to problems with
building permissions, the construction was postponed to 28 August 2013. [18] Eventually, the
warehouse opened its doors on 21 August 2014.[19] The shopping centre in Zagreb with a total
area of 38,000 m2 is one of the 5 biggest in Europe and among the 10 biggest IKEA stores in the
world.[20][21][22][23] In 2013, IKEA opened its first shopping centre in Vilnius, Lithuania that is the
biggest furniture-selling mall in the Baltic states.[24]
In March 2013, IKEA opened its first outlet in Qatar, after a delay of several months. [25][26] Like
others in the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Doha outlet is operated by the Al-Futtaim Group.[27] In
August 2013, the first store in the Baltic States was opened in the Vilnius region of Lithuania.
Construction of the 26,500 sq ft (2,500 m2) store commenced in 2011 and the store employs over
200 people.[28]
In July 2014 IKEA announced it would open its first store in India in the city of Hyderabad, where
the local government has committed to fast track all the required paperwork and permits, as it is
seeking to attract foreign investment. The new IKEA is expected to open in 2015. [29]
In December 2014, the world's largest IKEA store at 59,000 square meters (640,000 square
feet),[30] bigger than the previously largest store in Sweden, opened near the KTX Gwangmyeong
Station, located at the heart of South Korea's Seoul Capital Area. A second store will open
in Goyang, with a third one planned in Gangdong District, Seoul.[31] IKEA plans to have 5 stores in
the country by 2020.[32]
Store design[edit]
IKEA Restaurant
The Warehouse
Layout[edit]
Older IKEA stores are usually blue buildings with yellow accents (also Sweden's national colours)
and few windows. They are often designed in a one-way layout, leading customers counter
clockwise along what IKEA calls "the long natural way" designed to encourage the customer to
see the store in its entirety (as opposed to a traditional retail store, which allows a customer to go
directly to the section where the desired goods and services are displayed). There are often
shortcuts to other parts of the showroom. Newer IKEA stores, like the one in Mnchengladbach,
Germany, make more use of glass, both for aesthetics and functionality. Skylights are also now
common in the self-serve warehouses; natural lighting reduces energy costs, improves worker
morale and gives a better impression of the products.
The sequence first involves going through furniture showrooms making note of selected items.
The customer then collects a shopping cartand proceeds to an open-shelf "Market Hall"
warehouse for smaller items, then visits the "Self Serve" furniture warehouse to collect previously
noted showroom products in flat pack form. Sometimes, they are directed to collect products
from an external warehouse on the same site or at a site nearby after purchase. Finally,
customers pay for their products at a cash register.
Today, most stores follow the same layout of having the showroom upstairs with the marketplace
and self-service warehouse downstairs. Some stores are single level, while others have separate
warehouses to allow more stock to be kept on-site. Single-level stores are found predominantly
in areas where the cost of land would be less than the cost of building a 2-level store, such as
the Saarlouis, Germany andHaparanda, Sweden locations. Some stores have dual-level
warehouses with machine-controlled silos to allow large quantities of stock to be accessed
throughout the selling day.
Most IKEA stores offer an "as-is" area at the end of the warehouse, just before the cash
registers. Returned, damaged and formerly showcased products are displayed here and sold
with a significant discount, but also with a no-returns policy. Most IKEA stores communicate the
IKEA policy on environmental issues in this part of the store. The area, which is painted red, is
named according to local customs, in the United Kingdom this is referred to as "Bargain Corner",
in Sweden "FYND" (Bargains) and in Denmark, "Rodebutikken" (Rummage boutique).
In Hong Kong, where shop space is limited and costly, IKEA has opened three outlets across the
city, most of which have the one-way layout. They are part of shopping malls, and while being
tiny compared to common store design, are huge by Hong Kong standards.
The vast majority of IKEA stores are located outside of city centres, primarily because of land
cost and traffic access. Several smaller store formats have been unsuccessfully tested in the
past (the "midi" concept in the early '90s, which was tested in Ottawa and Heerlen with
9,300 m2 (100,000 sq ft), or a "boutique" shop in Manhattan). A new format for a full-size, city
centre store was introduced with the opening of the Manchester (United Kingdom) store, situated
in Ashton-Under-Lyne in 2006. Another store, in Coventry opened in December 2007. The store
has seven floors and a different flow from other Ikea stores. IKEA's Southampton store which
opened in February 2009 is also in the city centre and built in an urban style similar to the
Coventry store. IKEA built these stores in response to UK government restrictions blocking retail
establishment outside city centres.[33]
Another feature of IKEA stores is their long opening hours. Many stores are in operation 24 hours
a day with restocking and maintenance being carried out throughout the night. Public opening
hours tend to be much longer than most other retailers, with stores open well into the evening in
many countries. In the UK, almost all stores are open past 8pm and open around 9am to 10am.
IKEA Saudi Arabia stores have some of the longest opening hours worldwide being open from
10am to midnight, 7 days a week. Some IKEA stores are not open on Sundays due to local laws.
[34]
The IKEA stores are also known for the free IKEA pencils, whereby some people consider it as a
sport to collect as many of these IKEA pencils as they can during their visit.
Food markets[edit]
Every store includes a restaurant serving traditional Swedish food, including potatoes
with Swedish meatballs, cream sauce andlingonberry jam, although there are variations. In Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia, the usual boiled potatoes have been replaced with French fries. Besides
these Swedish foods, hot dogs and drinks are also sold, along with a few varieties of the local
cuisine, and beverages such as lingonberry juice. Also items such as prinsesstrta (princess
cake) are sold as desserts. Stores in Israel sell kosher food with a high degree of rabbinical
supervision.[35] The kosher restaurants are separated into dairy and meat areas; falafel and nondairy ice cream are available at the exit. IKEA stores in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and the
United Arab Emirates serve chicken shawarma at the exit caf as well as beef hot dogs, while in
United Kingdom, a Quorn hot dog is available in the exit caf.[36]
In many locations, the IKEA restaurants open daily before the rest of the store and serve an
inexpensive breakfast. In Canada, this breakfast includes eggs, sausage and hash browns and
various add-ons like bacon and pancakes at additional cost. In the United States, the local
variation serves scrambled eggs, bacon, country potatoes and a choice of Swedish
pancakes or French toast sticks. In the Netherlands, it consists of a croissant, a small bread roll,
butter or margarine, jam, a slice of cheese, a boiled egg and coffee or tea. In Australia, it consists
of a hash brown, bacon, scrambled eggs, a sausage and a tomato, with a vegetarian option with
baked beans which omits the sausage and bacon. [37][38][39] In Germany, this breakfast consists of
two bread rolls, one slice of smoked salmon, one slice of cheese, one slice of salami, two
portions of butter, one portion of jam, and coffee. Alcoholic drinks, like their l Ljus beer, are
available in some locations. Refills of coffee, tea, and soft drinks are, as is traditional in Sweden,
free of charge within store premises, even in countries where this is uncommon. In Austria, IKEA
restaurants offer a free refill policy for soft drinks, a practice that is otherwise unknown in the
country.
Every store also has a Swedish Food Market that, until 2011, sold branded Swedish prepared
specialist foods, such as meatballs, packages of gravy, lingonberry jam, various biscuits and
crackers, and salmon and fish roe spread. Later IKEA replaced most of the branded foods and
extended its product range with the introduction of the IKEA food label. The new label has a
variety of items including chocolates, meatballs, jams, pancakes, salmon, along with various
drinks. All IKEA food products are based on Swedish recipes and traditions. The majority of the
food production still takes place in Sweden by small, medium and large manufacturers,
like Gunnar Dafgrd AB, which make its meatballs.
Smland[edit]
Every store has a play area, named Smland (Swedish for small lands; it is also the Swedish
province where Kamprad was born). Parents drop off their children at a gate to the playground,
and pick them up after they arrive at another entrance. In some stores, parents are given
free pagers by the on-site staff, which the staff can use to summon parents whose children need
them earlier than expected; in others, staff summon parents through announcements over the instore public address system.
confirmed in England include London, Ashton-underLyne, Leeds, Gateshead, Warrington and Liverpool.[40]
Solar PV systems[edit]
At the end of September 2013, the company announced that solar panel packages, so-called
"residential kits", for houses will be sold at 17 UK stores by mid-2014. The decision followed a
successful pilot project at the Lakeside IKEA store, whereby one photovoltaic system was sold
almost every day. The solar CIGS panels are manufactured by Solibro GmbH a German-based
subsidiary of the Chinese company Hanergy.[41][42] By the end of 2014, IKEA began to sell Solibro's
solar residential kits in the Netherlands and in Switzerland. [43]
Retail[edit]
IKEA owns and operates a network of shopping centers MEGA.
Family Mobile[edit]
Main article: IKEA Family Mobile
On 8 August 2008, IKEA UK launched Family Mobile, a virtual mobile phone network, running
on T-Mobile.
Manufacturing[edit]
Although IKEA household products and furniture are designed in Sweden, they are largely
manufactured in developing countries to keep costs down. China accounts for about 2 times as
much supply as Sweden. For most of its products, the final assembly is performed by the enduser (consumer).
Swedwood, an IKEA subsidiary, handles production of all of the company's wood-based
products, with the largest Swedwood factory located in Southern Poland. According to the
subsidiary, over 16,000 employees across 50 sites in 10 countries manufacture the 100 million
pieces of furniture that IKEA sells annually. IKEA furniture uses the hardwood alternative particle
board and Hultsfred, a factory in southern Sweden, is the company's sole supplier.[44]
Product names[edit]
IKEA products are identified by one-word (rarely two-word) names. Most of the names are
Scandinavian in origin. Although there are some exceptions, most product names are based on a
special naming system developed by IKEA.[45]
For example, DUKTIG (meaning: clever, well-behaved) is a line of children's toys, OSLO is a
name of a bed, BILLY (a Swedish masculine name) is a popular bookcase, DINERA(meaning:
(to) dine) for tableware, KASSETT (meaning: cassette) for media storage. One range of office
furniture is named EFFEKTIV (meaning: efficient, effective), SKRPT(meaning: sharp or clever)
is a line of kitchen knives.
A notable exception is the IVAR shelving system, which dates back to the early 1970s. This item
is named after the item's designer.
Some of IKEA's Swedish product names have amusing or unfortunate connotations in other
languages, sometimes resulting in the names being withdrawn in certain countries. Notable
examples for English include the "Jerker" computer desk (discontinued several years ago as of
2013), "Fukta" plant spray, "Fartfull" workbench,[46] and "Lyckhem" (meaning bliss). Kitchen legs
are called FAKTUM (called AKURUM in the United States). The latest addition is the new
"Askholmen" outdoor suite. Similar blunders happen with other multinational companies. [47] See
also: Lufsig
Company founder Kamprad, who is dyslexic, found that naming the furniture with proper names
and words, rather than a product code, made the names easier to remember.[48]
IKEA uses a sales technique called "bulla bulla" in which a bunch of items are purposefully
jumbled in bins, to create the impression of volume, and therefore, inexpensiveness. [10]
Catalogue[edit]
Main article: IKEA Catalogue
IKEA publishes an annual catalogue, first published in Swedish in 1951.[49] IKEA published 197
million catalogues in 2010, in twenty languages and sixty-one editions. [10] It is considered to be
the main marketing tool of the retail giant, consuming 70% of the company's annual marketing
budget.[50]
The catalogue is distributed both in stores and by mail, [51] with most of it being produced by IKEA
Communications AB in IKEA's hometown of lmhult, Sweden where IKEA operates the largest
photo studio in northern Europe at 8,000 square metres (86,000 sq ft).[52] The catalogue itself is
printed on chlorine-free paper of 1015% post-consumer waste, and prints approximately 175
million copies worldwide annually,[53] more than 3 times as much as the Bible.[54]
According to Canadian broadcaster, CTV, "IKEA's publications have developed an almost cultlike following online. Readers have found all kinds of strange tidbits, including mysterious cat
pictures, apparent Mickey Mouse references and weird books wedged into the many shelves that
clutter the catalogues."
The 2013 catalogue is smartphone compatible, containing videos and photo galleries that can be
accessed via an app by scanning the catalogue's pages, while the 2014 catalog incorporates an
augmented reality app that projects an item into a real-time photograph image of the user's room.
The augmented reality app also provides an indication of the scale of IKEA objects in relation to
the user's living environment.[55]
In common with some other retailers, IKEA launched a loyalty card called "IKEA family". The card
is free of charge and can be used to obtain discounts on a special range of products found in
each IKEA store. It is available worldwide. In conjunction with the card, IKEA also publishes and
sells a printed quarterly magazine titled IKEA Family Live which supplements the card and
catalogue. The magazine is already printed in thirteen languages and an English edition for the
United Kingdom was launched in February 2007. It is expected to have a subscription of over
500,000.[56]
IKEA Family, as other loyalty cards, allows for lower prices. The main, generally unusual
difference is that it allows for free tea or coffee(from Monday to Friday at most locations) at Ikea
restaurant.[57][58]
Corporate structure[edit]
Main articles: Stichting INGKA Foundation, IKANO and Ingvar Kamprad
In Australia, IKEA is operated by two companies. Stores located on the East Coast
including Queensland, New South Wales and Victoriaare owned by INGKA Holding. Stores
elsewhere in the country including South Australia and Western Australia are owned by Cebas
Pty Ltd.[63] Like elsewhere, all stores are operated under a franchise agreement with Inter IKEA
Systems.[64]
In June 2013, Ingvar Kamprad resigned from the board of Inter IKEA Holding SA and his
youngest son Mathias Kamprad replaced Per Ludvigsson as the chairman of the holding
company. Following his decision to step down, the 87-year-old founder explained, "I see this as a
good time for me to leave the board of Inter IKEA Group. By that we are also taking another step
in the generation shift that has been ongoing for some years." Mathias and his two older
brothers, who also have leadership roles at IKEA, work on the corporation's overall vision and
long-term strategy.[65]
Profits[edit]
The net profit of IKEA Group (which does not include Inter IKEA systems) in fiscal year 2009
(after paying franchise fees to Inter IKEA systems) was 2.538 billion on sales of 21.846 billion.
Because INGKA Holding is owned by the nonprofit INGKA Foundation, none of this profit is
taxed. The foundation's nonprofit status also means that the Kamprad family cannot reap these
profits directly, but the Kamprads do collect a portion of IKEA sales profits through the franchising
relationship between INGKA Holding and Inter IKEA Systems.
Inter IKEA Systems collected 631 million of franchise fees in 2004, but reported pre-tax profits
of only 225 million in 2004. One of the major pre-tax expenses that Inter IKEA systems reported
was 590 million of "other operating charges". IKEA has refused to explain these charges, but
Inter IKEA Systems appears to make large payments to I.I. Holding, another Luxembourgregistered group that, according to The Economist, "is almost certain to be controlled by the
Kamprad family." I.I. Holding made a profit of 328 million in 2004.
In 2004, the Inter IKEA group of companies and I.I. Holding reported combined profits of 553m
and paid 19m in taxes, or approximately 3.5 percent. [60] In 2013 the Daily Mailmedia publication
reported that the IKEA subsidiary Swedwood had grown between 20-25% per year since its
inception in 1991.[44]
The Berne Declaration, a non-profit organisation in Switzerland that promotes corporate
responsibility, has formally criticised IKEA for its tax avoidance strategies. In 2007, the Berne
Declaration nominated IKEA for one of its Public Eye "awards", which highlight corporate
irresponsibility and are announced during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.[66]
In a company statement emailed on 14 October 2013, Ikea's full-year sales rose 3.1 percent due
in part to growth in Russia and China. Ikea's revenue total rose to US$37.9 billion (27.9 billion
euros), with significant growth also recorded in North America. [67]
Control by Kamprad[edit]
Along with helping IKEA make non-taxable profit, IKEA's complicated corporate structure allows
Kamprad to maintain tight control over the operations of Ingka Holding, and thus the operation of
most IKEA stores. The Ingka Foundation's five-person executive committee is chaired by
Kamprad. It appoints the board of Ingka Holding, approves any changes to Ingka Holding's
bylaws, and has the right to preempt new share issues. If a member of the executive committee
quits or dies, the other four members appoint his or her replacement.
In Kamprad's absence the foundation's bylaws include specific provisions requiring it to continue
operating the Ingka Holding group and specifying that shares can be sold only to another
foundation with the same objectives as the Ingka Foundation. [60]
Charitable giving[edit]
The INGKA Foundation is officially dedicated to promoting "innovations in architecture and
interior design."[60] With an estimated net worth of $36 billion, the foundation is unofficially the
world's largest charitable organization, ahead of the much better known Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation, which has a net worth of approximately $33 billion. [68]However, most of the Group's
profit is spent on investment; the foundation expects to spend 45 million on charitable giving in
2010 (compare the Gates Foundation, which made gifts of more than $1.5 billion in 2005. [68])
IKEA is involved in several international charitable causes, particularly in partnership
with UNICEF, including:
donations and donated all sales of the IKEA Blue Bag to the
cause.
IKEA also supports American Forests to restore forests and reduce pollution.[71][72]
Minimum Wage[edit]
In June 2014, IKEA announced that it would be raising its minimum wage in the United States.
The company raised the US minimum wage average to $10.76, but the actual minimum wage in
each city will fluctuate depending on that city's living costs. Employees at the IKEA in Emeryville,
CA will receive the highest wage of $14.44 per hour and workers in Pittsburgh and West Chester,
OH will receive the lowest wage at $8.69 per hour.
In 2009, Sweden's largest television station, SVT, revealed that IKEA's moneythe three per
cent collection from each storedoes not actually go to a charitable foundation in the
Netherlands, as IKEA has said. Inter IKEA is owned by a foundation in Liechtenstein, called
Interogo, which has amassed twelve billion dollars, and is controlled by the Kamprad family.[10]
Environmental performance[edit]
After initial environmental issues like the highly publicized formaldehyde scandals in the early
1980s and 1992,[82][83][84] IKEA took a proactive stance on environmental issues and tried to prevent
future incidents through a variety of measures.[85] In 1990, IKEA invited Karl-Henrik Robrt,
founder of the Natural Step, to address its board of directors. Robert's system conditions for
sustainability provided a strategic approach to improving the company's environmental
performance. In 1990, IKEA adopted the Natural Step framework as the basis for its
environmental plan.[86] This led to the development of an Environmental Action Plan, which was
adopted in 1992. The plan focused on structural change, allowing IKEA to "maximize the impact
of resources invested and reduce the energy necessary to address isolated issues." [86] The
environmental measures taken include the following:
1. Replacing polyvinylchloride (PVC) in wallpapers, home
textiles, shower curtains, lampshades and furniturePVC
has been eliminated from packaging and is being phased
out in electric cables;
2. minimizing the use of formaldehyde in its products, including
textiles;
3. eliminating acid-curing lacquers;
4. producing a model of chair (OGLA) made from 100% postconsumer plastic waste;
5. introducing a series of air-inflatable furniture products into
the product line. Such products reduce the use of raw
materials for framing and stuffing and reduce transportation
weight and volume to about 15% of that of conventional
furniture;
6. reducing the use of chromium for metal surface treatment;
7. limiting the use of substances such as cadmium,
lead, PCB, PCP, and Azo pigments;
8. using wood from responsibly managed forests that replant
and maintain biological diversity;
9. using only recyclable materials for flat packaging and "pure"
(non-mixed) materials for packaging to assist in recycling. [86]
10. introducing rental bicycles with trailers for customers in
Denmark.[87]
In 2000 IKEA introduced its code of conduct for suppliers, called the IKEA way of purchasing....
shortened to IWAY. Today IWAY is a totally integrated part of IKEA's purchasing model. IWAY
covers social, safety and environmental questions. Today IKEA has around 60 IWAY auditors that
performs hundreds of supplier audits every year. The main purpose with IWAY is to make sure
that the IKEA suppliers follows the law in each country where they are based. Most IKEA
suppliers fulfill the law today with exceptions for some special issues, one being excessive
working hours in Asia, in countries such as China and India.
More recently, IKEA has stopped providing plastic bags to customers, but offers reusable bags
for sale. The IKEA restaurants also only offer reusable plates, knives, forks, spoons, etc. Toilets
in some IKEA WC-rooms have been outfitted with dual-function flushers. IKEA has recycling bins
for compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), energy saving bulbs and batteries. In 2001 IKEA was one
of the first companies to operate its own cross-border goods trains through several countries in
Europe.[88]
In August 2008, IKEA also announced that it had created IKEA GreenTech, a 50 million venture
capital fund. Located in Lund (a university town in Sweden), it will invest in 810 companies in
the coming five years with focus on solar panels, alternative light sources, product materials,
energy efficiency and water saving and purification. The aim is to commercialise green
technologies for sale in IKEA stores within 34 years. [89][90]
To make IKEA a more sustainable company, a product life cycle was created. For the idea stage,
products should be flat-packed so that more items can be shipped at once; products should also
be easier to dismantle and recycle. Raw materials are used, and since wood and cotton are two
of IKEA's most important manufacturing products, the company works with environmentally
friendly forests and cotton, whereby the excessive use of chemicals and water is avoided. [citation
needed]
Manufacturing is third in the life cycle and includes IWAY, IKEA's code of conduct for
manufactures and suppliers that formulates and enforces requirements for working conditions,
social and environmental standards, and what suppliers can expect from IKEA in return.
Marketing is another part of IKEA's life cycle and a portion of the paper used for its catalogues is
sourced from responsibly managed forests. The catalogue is also smaller, so that less paper is
required, less waste is produced and more catalogues can be shipped per load. [citation needed]
IKEA stores recycle waste and many run on renewable energy with the use of energy-saving
bulbs and sensors. All employees are trained in environmental and social responsibility, while
public transit is one of the priorities when the location of stores is considered. Also, the coffee
served at IKEA stores is certified organic.[citation needed]
The last stage of the life cycle is the end of life. Most IKEA stores recycle light bulbs and drained
batteries, and the company is also exploring the recycling of sofas and other home furnishing
products. According to IKEA's 2012 "Sustainability Report", 23% of all wood that the company
uses meets the standards of the Forest Stewardship Council, and the report states that IKEA
aims to double this percentage by 2017. The report also states that IKEA does not accept
illegally logged wood and supports 13 World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) projects.[44]
On 17 February 2011, IKEA announced its plans to develop a wind farm in Dalarna County,
Sweden, furthering its goal of using only renewable energy to fuel its operations. [91]As of June
2012, 17 United States (US) IKEA stores are powered by solar panels, with 22 additional
installations in progress.[92]
In 2011, the company examined its wood consumption and noticed that almost half of its global
pine and spruce consumption was for the fabrication of pallets. The company consequently
started a transition to the use of paper pallets and the "Optiledge system". [93] The OptiLedge
product is totally recyclable, made from 100% virgin high-impactcopolymer polypropylene (PP).
The system is a "unit load alternative to the use of a pallet. The system consists of the OptiLedge
(usually used in pairs), aligned and strapped to the bottom carton to form a base layer upon
which to stack more product. Corner boards are used when strapping to minimize the potential
for package compression." The conversion began in Germany and Japan, before its introduction
into the rest of Europe and North America.[94] The system has been marketed to other companies,
and IKEA has formed the OptiLedge company to manage and sell the product. [95]
IKEA has expanded its sustainability plan in the UK to include electric car charge points for
customers at all locations by the end of 2013.[96] The effort will include Nissan andEcotricity and
promise to deliver an 80% charge in 30 minutes.[97]
In February 2014, IKEA in the UK announced that from 2016 they will only sell energyefficient LED lightbulbs, lamps and light fixtures. LED lightbulbs uses as much as only 15% of the
power of a regular incandescent light bulb.[98]
Criticisms[edit]
Accusations of price gouging[edit]
Ikea has been criticised by Citytv in Canada for charging up to twice as much in their Canadian
stores as for the same items sold in their American stores, despite the Canadian dollar reaching
parity with the U.S. dollar.[115]
Labor issues[edit]
Operation Scandinavica[edit]
In 2014, documents were found at the Securitate archives in Bucharest which indicated that
Ikea's open purchase of Romanian lumber throughout the 1980s was part of a complex scheme
(codenamed "Scandinavica") to fund the Securitate and allow the accumulation of foreign
currency: the Romanian lumber company Tehnoforestexport would regularly overcharge Ikea,
transfer the overpayments into private Securitate bank accounts, wait for interest to accrue, and
then reimburse Ikea the principal. Ikea has denied complicity in Scandinavica, but has begun an
internal investigation to learn more.[128]
Verdana typeface[edit]
In 2009, IKEA changed the typeface used in its catalogue from Futura to Verdana, expressing a
desire to unify its branding between print and web media. The controversy has been attributed to
the perception of Verdana as a symbol of homogeneity in popular typography.[130]
Time magazine and The Associated Press ran articles on the controversy including a brief
interview with an IKEA representative, focusing on the opinions of typographers and designers.
[131]
Design and advertising industry-focused publications such as Business Week joined the fray
of online posts. The branding critic blog, Brand New, was one of those using the "Verdanagate"
name.[130] The Australian online daily news site Crikey also published an article on the
controversy.[132] The Guardian ran an article asking "IKEA is changing its font to Verdana
causing outrage among typomaniacs. Should the rest of us care? Absolutely." [133] The New York
Times said the change to Verdana "is so offensive to many because it seems like a slap at the
principles of design by a company that has been hailed for its adherence to them." [134]
Advertising[edit]
In 1994, IKEA ran a commercial in the United States widely thought to be the first to feature a
homosexual couple; it aired for several weeks before being pulled out due to terrorist threats
directed at IKEA stores.[135] Other IKEA commercials appeal to the wider GLBTQcommunity, one
featuring a transgender woman.[136]
In 2002, the inaugural television component of the "Unbring" campaign, titled Lamp, went on to
win several awards, including a Grand Clio,[137] Golds at the London International Awards[138] and
the ANDY Awards,[139] and the Grand Prix at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival,
[140]
the most prestigious awards ceremony in the advertising community.
IKEA launched a UK-wide "Home is the Most Important Place in the World" advertising campaign
in September 2007 using estate agent signs with the term "Not For Sale" written on them as part
of the wider campaign. After the campaign appeared in the Metro newspaper London the
business news website www.mad.co.uk remarked that the IKEA campaign had amazing
similarities with the marketing activity of UK home refurbishment company Onis living who had
launched its own Not For Sale advertising campaign two years prior and was awarded the
Interbuild 2006 Construction Marketing Award for best campaign under 25,000. [141][142]
A debate ensued between Fraser Patterson, Chief Executive of Onis and Andrew McGuinness,
partner at Beattie McGuinness Bungay(BMB), the advertising and PR agency awarded the 12m
IKEA account.[143][144] The essence of the debate was that BMB claimed to be unaware of Onis's
campaign as Onis was not an advertising agency. Onis's argument was that its advertising could
be seen in prominent landmarks throughout London, having been already accredited, showing
concern about the impact IKEA's campaign would have on the originality of its own. BMB and
IKEA subsequently agreed to provide Onis with a feature page on the IKEA campaign site linking
through to Onis's website for a period of 1 year.
In 2008, IKEA paired up with the makers of video game The Sims 2 to make a stuff
pack called IKEA Home Stuff, featuring many IKEA products. It was released on 24 June 2008
in North America and 26 June 2008 in Europe. It is the second stuff pack with a major brand, the
first being The Sims 2 H&M Fashion Stuff.
IKEA took over the title sponsorship of Philadelphia's annual Thanksgiving Day parade in 2008,
replacing Boscov's, which filed for bankruptcy in August 2008.
In November 2008, a subway train decorated in IKEA style was introduced in Novosibirsk,
Russia.[145] Four cars were turned into a mobile showroom of the Swedish design. The redesigned
train, which features colourful seats and fancy curtains, carried passengers until 6 June 2009.
Oyster cards (the ticket-free system for the London Underground) were for given with wallets
sponsored by IKEA in 2008-09. IKEA also sponsored the tube map.[146][147]
In January 2009, just before the new store opened in Southampton, MV Red Osprey of Red
Funnel was re-painted in an entirely yellow and blue livery to celebrate the opening of the new
IKEA store in Southampton. This is the first time a Red Funnel ferry has been re-painted out of its
own red and white colour scheme. It stayed in these colours for 12 months as part of a deal
between Red Funnel and IKEA to provide home delivery services to the Isle of Wight. It was
repainted with Red Funnel's red and white livery when the deal ended in January 2010.
In March 2010, IKEA developed an event in four important Metro stations in Paris, in which
furniture collections are displayed in high-traffic spots, giving potential customers a chance to
check out the brand's products. The Metro walls were also filled with prints that showcase IKEA
interiors.
In September 2010, IKEA launched an advertisement for UK & Ireland called "Happy Inside"
which had 100 cats lying on IKEA furniture in the flagship IKEA store in Wembley, London.[148]
In April 2011, an advertising campaign was launched aiming at discovering whether men or
women are messier in the home. Created by Mother, the campaign will begin with a TV advert
shot in front of a live audience, featuring four stand-up comedians, two men and two women,
debating which gender is messier. The idea behind the campaign is that domestic clutter leads to
arguments, and thus to an unhappy home, a conflict that IKEA wants to show can be avoided
with better storage. Viewers will be directed to a new Facebook page for the brand, where they
are able to vote on who they believe is messier, and submit evidence using videos and photos
through an app created especially for the campaign. Meanwhile, online display banners will allow
other users the opportunity to vote, with online adverts promoting Ikea products demonstrating
the problems confronting people, and offering solutions.
Anna Crona, marketing director at IKEA United Kingdom and Ireland, explained: "We are
committed to understanding how our customers live life at home so we can provide solutions to
make life happier. Everybody has storage needs in the home and by encouraging debate and
providing solutions we will show that IKEA is relevant to everybody, no matter what your home is
like or how much money you have." Press adverts will also support the campaign, as will a
handbook entitled "Peace, Love and Storage", which will be available through the Facebook site.
[149]
Other ventures[edit]
In mid-August 2012, the company announced that it will establish a chain of 100 economy hotels
in Europe but, unlike its few existing hotels in Scandinavia, they will not carry the IKEA name, nor
will they use IKEA furniture and furnishings they will be operated by an unnamed international
group of hoteliers.[150]
Awards[edit]
IKEA was named one of the 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers in 2004 and 2005
by Working Mothers magazine. It ranked 80 in Fortune's 200 Best Companies to Work For in
2006 and in October 2008, IKEA Canada LP was named one of "Canada's Top 100 Employers"
by Mediacorp Canada Inc., and was featured in Maclean's newsmagazine. Additionally, IKEA is
the most popular store for college furnishings.[151]
Canada
China
France
Germany
Italy
Netherlands
Russia
Spain
Sweden
United Kingdom
United States
References[edit]
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
76. Jump up^ Reuters India (23 February 2009) Ikea gives UNICEF
$48 mln to fight India child labour
77. Jump up^ "UNICEF: IKEA Soft Toy campaign raises 5.4 million
for education projects".
78. Jump up^ McBain, Sophie (10 December 2013). "How Lufsig the
cuddly wolf became a Hong Kong protest symbol A short lesson
in the art of mistranslating names into Chinese." The New
Statesman.
79. Jump up^ "Save the Children: IKEA Provides Soft Toys to
Children in Cyclone-Affected Myanmar".
80. Jump up^ "Reuters / PR Newswire: Sunny News: IKEA and
UNICEF Lighten Up Children's Lives in the Developing World". 21
July 2009. Archived from the original on 26 July 2012.
81. Jump up^ UNHCR: The UN Refugee Agency (Thailand) (2
September 2011). "IKEA Foundation gives UNHCR US$62 million
for Somali refugees in Kenya | UNHCR: The UN Refugee Agency
(Thailand)". UNHCR. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
82. Jump up^ "IKEA and formaldehyde". unknown (2003 to 6
February 2004). Retrieved 2 July 2013.
83. Jump up^ "Formaldehyde and other VOC's".
By IKEAFANS.com (February 1998). Retrieved2 July 2013.
84. Jump up^ "Eco Etiquette: Should I Freak Out About
Formaldehyde In Baby Furniture?". By Jennifer Grayson of The
Huffington Post. 26 January 2011. Retrieved 2 July 2013.
85. Jump up^ See Bartlett, Dessain, Sjman (2006) IKEA's Global
Sourcing Challenge: Indian Rugs and Child Labour (A) in Harvard
Business School
86. ^ Jump up to:a b c Owens, Heidi (1998) IKEA: A Natural Step Case
Study. Oregon Natural Step Network. Retrieved on: 6 April 2008.
87. Jump up^ Sherwood Stranieri (17 July 2008). "IKEA Bikes (no,
they're not made of plywood)".Using Bicycles. Retrieved 27
July 2008.
88. Jump up^ "Banverket press release". Cision Wire. 29 June
2001. Archived from the originalon 10 July 2014.
89. Jump up^ "IKEA Sets its Sights on the Sun". Futurethinktank.com
(futurethink's innovation weblog). 7 August 2008. Retrieved 10
June 2009.
90. Jump up^ "IKEA GreenTech". Green VC. 10 August 2008.
Retrieved 10 June 2009.
91. Jump up^ "(IKEA building its own personal wind farm)". CNET. 17
February 2011. Retrieved17 February 2011.
92. Jump up^ "IKEA U.S. Solar Plans near 89% with Two More
Installations Proposed; Distribution Centers in Perryville, MD and
109. Jump up^ "RT report on the loosening of shop planning laws".
Rte.ie. 5 January 2005. Retrieved 10 June 2009.
110.Jump up^ "IKEA Ireland". Retrieved 15 April 2008.
111. Jump up^ VINCE PATTON for kgw.com (19 March
2007). "Business | kgw.com | News for Oregon and SW
Washington". kgw.com. Archived from the original on 20 April
2008. Retrieved10 June 2009.
112.Jump up^ "China - The Heritage Trust". Retrieved 2 May 2015.
113.Jump up^ "'No Union flag at new IKEA store'". BBC News. 12
June 2007. Retrieved 9 August2007.
114.Jump up^ "'Ortiz link with Ikea'". El Mundo (Spanish Newspaper).
27 June 2014. Retrieved27 June 2014.
115.Jump up^ "CityNews: "Ikea confronted over CanadianU.S. price
differences"". 5 November 2007. Archived from the original on 1
December 2008. Retrieved 19 June 2008.
116.Jump up^ "Norwegian Prime Minister Slams IKEA". 10 March
2005. Archived from the originalon 22 February 2014.
117.Jump up^ "IKEA to Review Equality in Manuals". Los Angeles
Times. 11 March 2005. Retrieved13 June 2013.
118.Jump up^ Gauger, Eliza (26 June 2007). "Wired".
Blog.wired.com. Retrieved 10 June 2009.
119.Jump up^ O'Mahony, Paul (20 February 2008). "Ikea guilty of
'cultural imperialism': Danes". The Local. Archived from the
original on 28 February 2008. Retrieved 8 March 2008.
120. Jump up^ "Ikea Saudi Arabia Catalogue Has Women Deleted
(PHOTO)". flatpackmates.co.uk. 1 August 2015.
121. Jump up^ "What is shop online?". IKEA. 22 September 2009.
Retrieved 26 December 2010.
122. Jump up^ "Horsemeat found in Ikea meatballs in Czech
Republic". BBC. 25 February 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
123. Jump up^ Reuters (21 March 2013). "Ikea meatballs return
after horsemeat scare". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
124. Jump up^ http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/ikea-issueswarning-after-deaths-of-us-children/ar-AAdnIV8
125. Jump up^ "Ikea 'stole secret French police reports' claim
The Local". Thelocal.fr. 29 February 2012. Archived from the
original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
126. Jump up^ "Espionnage : quand Ikea faisait son march dans
les fichiers de police" (in French). Rue89. 28 February 2012.
Retrieved 28 January 2013.
127. Jump up^ Clay Lucas (23 April 2012). "Staff at food plant
allege years of extreme bullying". Melbourne: Theage.com.au.
Retrieved 28 January 2013.
128. Jump up^ Ikea funds went to Romanian secret police in
communist era, by Matei Rosca, in the Guardian; published July 4,
2014; retrieved July 6, 2014
129. Jump up^ Nicholas Kulish; Julia Werdigier (16 November
2012). "Ikea Admits Forced Labor Was Used in 1980s". The New
York Times. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
130. ^ Jump up to:a b [1] "Verdanagate," by "Armin" in "Brand New"
blog, 31 August 2009
131. Jump up^ [2] The Font War: Ikea Fans Fume over Verdana.
Time, (28 August 2009)
132. Jump up^ Mel Campbell and Jeremy Wortsman, "The Full
Fonty: Why Type Nerds Went Mental Over Ikea", Crikey, 1
September 2009
133. Jump up^ Verdana: Ikea's flat-pack font, Simon Garfield, The
Guardian, 2 September 2009
134. Jump up^ "Typography Fans Say Ikea Should Stick to
Furniture", Edward Rothstein, The New York Times, 4 September
2009
135. Jump up^ "Dining Room Table IKEA advertisement".
AdRespect Advertising Education Program. 1994. Archived
from the original on 26 September 2009. Retrieved 10 June 2009.
136. Jump up^ "Redecorate Your Life IKEA advertisement".
AdRespect Advertising Education Program. 1999. Retrieved 10
June 2009.
137. Jump up^ Eastwood, Allison; "MINI missing but "Lamp" shines
at Clios", Boards, 22 May 2003. Retrieved 22 April 2010.
138. Jump up^ "Archive: 2003 Winners, London International
Awards". 2008.liaawards.com. Retrieved13 June 2013.
139. Jump up^ "Archive: 2003 Winners, ANDY Awards".
Andyawards.com. Archived from the originalon 23 July 2012.
Retrieved 13 June 2013.
140. Jump up^ Mutel, Glen; "Surprise at Cannes as 'lamp' wins
Grand Prix", Campaign, 27 June 2003. Retrieved 22 April 2010.
141. Jump up^ "Our award winning campaign | Onis Home
Refurbishments". Onisliving.co.uk. Retrieved 10 June 2009.
142. Jump
up^ http://www.constructionmarketingawards.com/testimonials.ht
ml Archived February 21, 2014 at the Wayback Machine
External links[edit]
Companies portal
Inditex
Jernimo Martins
Kingfisher
Marks & Spencer
Mercadona
Metro AG
Ahold
Tesco
VIAF: 145413402
GND: 4392009-3
Authority control
SUDOC: 088487318
BNF: cb14634798t (data)
Categories:
IKEA
Companies of Sweden
Furniture manufacturers
Furniture retailers
Swedish brands
Navigation menu
Not logged in
Talk
Contributions
Create account
Log in
Read
Edit
View history
Go
Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikipedia store
Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page
Tools
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Wikidata item
Create a book
Download as PDF
Printable version
Languages
Afrikaans
Alemannisch
Asturianu
Article
Talk
()
Bosanski
Brezhoneg
Catal
etina
Cymraeg
Dansk
Deutsch
Eesti
Espaol
Esperanto
Euskara
Froyskt
Franais
Galego
Hrvatski
Bahasa Indonesia
slenska
Italiano
Basa Jawa
Kurd
Latina
Latvieu
Lietuvi
Magyar
Bahasa Melayu
Nederlands
Norsk bokml
Norsk nynorsk
Ozbekcha/
Piemontis
Polski
Portugus
Romn
Smegiella
Shqip
Simple English
Slovenina
/ srpski
Srpskohrvatski /
Suomi
Svenska
Trke
Ting Vit
Edit links
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Mobile view