If the launch of the new format in the center of the Paris capital is recognized as successful, IKEA will launch similar marketplaces in the cities of France, the USA, and Japan.
The launch of the retail space marked the last step in changing the design and range of stores of the Swedish furniture giant against the background of changing demands and consumer habits from consumers. This Monday, IKEA, accompanied by the songs of Abba and a large number of national flags developing in the wind, opened the doors of a new store in the center of the city for the buyers for the new store in Madeleine quarter. The store has a salad bar and a restaurant, and customers will be offered classes on feng shui, cooking classes and master classes in furniture repair or home renovation. On the territory will also be organized art exhibitions.
“La Madeleine is an innovative testing laboratory for us. We want to get closer to people who know and love IKEA, but they think that we are too far away, ” Reuters quotes Jesper Brodin, the executive director of Ingka Group. If the launch of the new format in the center of the Paris capital is recognized as successful, IKEA will launch similar marketplaces in the cities of France, the USA, and Japan.
Today, IKEA also has urban-style experimental lounges in the center of European capitals – a kitchen studio in Stockholm, a store offering interior design on individual projects in London, and a specialized salon selling living room furniture in Madrid.
IKEA also reported that they plan to increase investment in development in the French market. Over the next three years, the company will direct about 400 million euros to the opening and modernization of existing stores in the country. As part of the new development strategy, IKEA will create a network of stores in the central part of the city, offer new services and improve opportunities for online shopping.
Today, France remains the third largest market for IKEA after Germany and the United States. The company’s plans include, in particular, the launch of a furniture rental service that already functions in the USA and the UK. According to Brodin, in the French store with an area of 5,400 square meters, a new service will be available to buyers in the summer of 2019.
