Coronavirus: Ikea opens Swedish food markets for key workers April 8, 2020 Ikea has opened the food markets at its London stores to serve key workers during the coronavirus pandemic. The Swedish retail giant has opened food halls at its Tottenham and Greenwich sites, which are located close to local hospitals. The Ikea markets will be open to NHS and emergency service workers as well as the [...]
Ikea is closing its first big UK store February 4, 2020 Ikea is preparing to close its Coventry store this year, which will be the first time it has shuttered a large site in the UK since its launch in the country 33 years ago. More than 350 jobs are at risk following the decision, which Ikea said was due to the “changing behaviour of customers [...]
Coronavirus: Ikea shuts mainland China stores following outbreak January 29, 2020 Ikea is the latest company to announce it will temporarily close stores in China due to the outbreak of coronavirus. The Swedish retailer will shut around half of its 30 stores in mainland China until further notice to help halt the spread of the disease, the company’s owner Ingka Group said. Other global chains including [...]
Ikea shrugs off retail gloom to post sales rise November 7, 2019 Ikea reported an increase in full-year sales as it managed to overcome the challenges facing the UK retail market. Sales in Ikea’s UK business were up eight per cent year on year to £2.1bn, the retailer said in its annual report. Read more: Ikea to face tax repayment order from EU The company reported that [...]
Sorry not sorry: End the apology culture in business October 15, 2019 When David Neeleman, the founder of American airline JetBlue, published a YouTube video entitled “Our Promise to You” in 2007, it was the first corporate social media apology. The video set the standard for modern crisis management. Snow storms and bad planning had forced the airline to cancel more than a thousand flights, affecting over [...]
Notifications to EU Commission about unlawful tax breaks rocket in state aid crackdown May 30, 2019 The number of notifications to the EU Commission about potentially unlawful tax breaks has rocketed as countries take a tougher stance on state aid. In the last five years the Commission was notified about 385 potentially unlawful tax breaks, compared to just 80 between 2007 and 2013. Over the 12 months to 31 March the [...]
Fans queue all night for release of Ikea rug designed by Louis Vuitton’s Virgil Abloh May 2, 2019 Queues stretched around the block this morning as fans of a major international company known for its slim design lined up to get their hands on its most recent product. The shop? Ikea. The item? A rug. The new carpet is a collaboration with Off White, run by Louis Vuitton men’s artistic director Virgil Abloh. [...]
Fans queue all night for release of Ikea rug designed by Louis Vuitton’s Virgil Abloh May 2, 2019 Queues stretched around the block this morning as fans of a major international company known for its slim design lined up to get their hands on its most recent product. The shop? Ikea. The item? A rug. The new carpet is a collaboration with Off White, run by Louis Vuitton men’s artistic director Virgil Abloh. [...]
Ikea releases kama sutra guide for bedroom satisfaction March 8, 2019 Swedish furniture retailer Ikea has released a "kama sutra" e-book that presents an array of options for positions that bedroom furniture could be displayed in. The US marketing campaign includes a 44-page e-book with illustrations of various styles accompanied by kama sutra phrases as well as a TV advert. Read more: Goals Soccer Centres' shares plummet [...]
Technology can save the high street and future-proof the entire retail ecosystem March 8, 2019 Ever since the first online transaction over a quarter of a century ago, we’ve been bombarded with a growing number of claims that the high street is dead and online is king. The recent downfall of former offline strongholds such as BHS, Toys R Us, and House of Fraser are often cited as evidence that [...]