IKEA’s fortunes are certainly on the polar opposite to flat, after its worldwide profits grew to €34.2bn during the 12 months to August.
This substantial growth is partially driven by the company’s expansion into China, a country which is proving to love the flat-pack approach to furnishing a home.
Here is Ireland, IKEA has just opened its second outlet, located in Carrickmines in south Dublin.
The new site features a new ‘Order & Collect’ system, as more and more customers shop online. You can simply order the item you want, pay for it online, turn up at the store, and collect it.
Speaking about the new store, Ikea Ireland Market Manager, Marsha Smith said: “We’re delighted to open the doors to this new version of Ikea and welcome our first customers. This is a completely new shopping concept for Ikea in Ireland and I’m sure that new and existing customers will really benefit from the increased convenience that the Order and Collection Point offers.
“In particular, the new format really allows customers the time, support and assistance to plan bigger purchases such as their dream kitchen or bedroom. We’ve had a lot of positive feedback over the last number of months so we expect the first few weeks will be busy.”