The myth that Ikea is cheap. IKEA catalog once again offers the best design concepts

24.09.2019

Section 1. IKEA: the history of the most famous European entrepreneur.

Chapter 2. MethodsIKEA (The IKEA way). Chapter 3. About the IKEA Group.

Section 4Problems of IKEA in the Russian regions. Question history.

Section 5IKEA business principles.

Kamprad made the only right decision in this situation - to launch buyers into the warehouse. So IKEA accidentally came up with its "crown" formula: store-warehouse. It is with the Kungens Kurva style work organization was determined finally and forever. Now every IKEA furniture store is a kind of exhibition center. Where not only sofas and wardrobes are shown, but also any little things in everyday life: tablecloths, curtains, bedspreads, towels and candlesticks. And all this is placed as it should be in real life. Thus, a store visitor can first look at ten children's rooms in a row, and then twenty-five dining rooms or living rooms, and so on.

Having estimated how this or that model looks in a real interior, and choosing the right one, he must follow it to the warehouse. In convenient packages, he transports the piece of furniture to his home and assembles it on his own, reading clear and sensible instructions. Consumer IKEA, like any other global brand, is controversial. For example, a company has long been deservedly reproached for the imposed standardization of the environment - there is no question of any individuality that they like to talk about in companies. Of course, this annoys a lot of people. In the organization, however, there is enough self-irony to joke about this topic. Before opening a store in a new country, firms always do a little research. They ask if customers like their furniture. And they always get the same result - absolutely no one likes IKEA furniture. So it was in Italy, and in Germany, and in Russian Federation, and in other countries. The organization gets acquainted with these results and opens a store. As soon as it opens, the boom begins.

In general, IKEA recognizes that firms have room to move. The organization argues as follows: a person buys furniture not only for himself, but also for his neighbors. For himself, he chooses inexpensive and functional furniture from IKEA. Puts it in bedrooms, kitchens and children's rooms. Where he spends most of his time, and where it is not customary to let outsiders. But in the living room, in order to puff out the cheeks in front of the neighbors, mahogany sets and leather sofas are bought. We have conquered kitchens and bedrooms, they say in IKEA, now our task is to conquer the living rooms of our customers /

About the IKEA Group

IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad created a company and a company ownership structure that guarantees its integrity and independence. Therefore, since 1982, the IKEA Group has been owned by the foundation.

The IKEA group of companies controls all IKEA operations (activities of the industrial group Swedwood, distribution and maintenance of warehouses), as well as organizations that own stores in countries around the world.

The Stichting INGKA Foundation (Stichting INGKA) owns the IKEA Group. INGKA holding B.V. - the founder of all divisions, owned by the IKEA Group. Both companies are located in Holland. The members of the Board of Directors are: Göran Grosskopf (Chairman), Matthias Kamprad, Lars-Johan Jarnheimer, Göran Lindahl, Carl Wilhelm Ros, Bruno Winborg and Magdalena Herder. Ingvar Kamprad retired from managing the Group in 1986 and is now a senior advisor.

The management of the IKEA Group includes: Mikael Olsson (and CEO), Jan Duffy, Søren Hansen, Pernilla Lopez, Helen Dupont, Thorbjørn Löof, Noel Wijsmans, Göran Stark and Werner Weber.

IKEA Services B.V. and IKEA Services AB are nine divisions located in Holland and Sweden, which support all activities of the IKEA Group. A division of Inter IKEA Systems B.V. provides franchises to IKEA stores.

IKEA has stores in 44 countries, most of which are owned by the IKEA Group (franchisor). Approximately 40 IKEA stores in 15 countries are operated by franchisees outside the IKEA Group.

KEA is one of the world's leading home improvement retailers with 325 stores in 40 countries and 734,000,000 visitors a year. There are 11 stores in Canada alone that are visited by more than 25 million people a year. Last year, IKEA.com sites attracted 904,000,000 visitors. The organization was founded in 1943 and its business philosophy is to provide a wide range of products of good design and functionality at prices most people can afford.

1 million a person visits IKEA daily.

3.5 visits per year for the average IKEA customer.

28 million racks "BILLY" sold since 1978

42 years- the average age of IKEA consumers.

60% IKEA visitors are women.

150 million meatballs are served annually in IKEA restaurants.

10 thousand product names exhibited at IKEA.

365 million people visited IKEA last year (2007).

Marginal economy everywhere and in everything is the general strategic line of the organization from the first days and throughout the entire period of its existence. Savings begin with the development of models of future branded products, which IKEA designers are in direct contact with manufacturers - in order to avoid multiple adjustments. It continues in the course of the search by suppliers of the most suitable options for raw materials and materials in terms of cost and quality, their wholesale purchase for the entire batch planned for release, includes all processes production of trade items - almost always serial and in-line, with maximum optimization and automation of technological operations. Finally, it ends already in IKEA stores, where the practice of “self-service warehouses” is widespread, from which customers independently pick up furniture that has been disassembled and packed in flat boxes.


Ingvar Kamprad himself in an interview revealed politics pricing at IKEA. A family with an average and below average income is taken. It is calculated how much she is able to spend on home improvement and on each pillow or floor lamp separately. Thus, the optimal cost of each item is recognized. Next, the company's specialists create its technical description and see which supplier can ensure its high-quality implementation within the budget. Sometimes the managers of the organization help the manufacturer to master new technology. Maybe today this technique no longer surprises anyone, but when IKEA started, it seemed like a revolution.

IKEA, in a sense, is also a symbol of economic stability. The prices of goods approved and published in the seasonal catalog do not change during the year. The only thing that can change them is discounts as part of the regular sales that the organization holds.

IKEA has become famous for its ability to make a product from almost any waste from other industries. For example, one of the storage systems for household items is made from recycled milk containers, some of the tables use a reddish-brown birch core, which other furniture manufacturers do not work with. In the 1990s, IKEA is said to have produced a series of picture frames made exclusively from waste from the Volvo factory... The company calls this approach innovative.


Thrift is an element of the company's business strategy and the main quality of its founder. With the blessing of Ingvar Kamprad, there is no such thing as luxury at IKEA. Top managers fly to business meetings in economy class and stay in inexpensive hotels. Kamprad himself drinks expensive drinks from the hotel minibar, if only later he can replace them with cheaper ones bought at a nearby supermarket. The billionaire allegedly does not shun magazine coupons for free parking and often uses public transport. Not surprisingly, employees of the organization act as free models during the filming of the annual IKEA catalog.

The founder impresses those around him with external modesty and teaches: “money spoils a person. They should be used as resources for investment, not as a means to satisfy whims.” In 2006, the Swedish press called Kamprad the richest man on the planet, outdoing Bill Yeats himself, but IKEA's intricate ownership system does not allow you to accurately calculate the assets of the Swedish entrepreneur, so the sensation is not documented.


Kamprad's frugality is not coquetry, flirting with the people - they say, I'm no better than you. This is a life credo and at the same time part of the IKEA philosophy. “Each crown is a crown,” Kamprad likes to say, that is, “the ruble saves.” In his opinion, many of the designer's techniques - super fashionable and modern - make furniture more expensive and, therefore, inaccessible to a wide purchaser. That is why IKEA designers must have an understanding of the entire chain of furniture production - from the idea to the delivery of the finished product to the store and from there to the buyer. This helps the designer understand process pricing, and prices, in turn, should be as low as possible. This is why IKEA furniture is sold as semi-finished products that are assembled by home buyers. This reduces the cost of storage and transportation. For the sake of the same savings, design centers serve all markets IKEA. Orders for the production of furniture are placed all over the world - where it is cheaper.

“IKEA's business philosophy is defined by one golden rule: Treat every challenge as an opportunity. Problems give amazing chances. When we were forbidden to buy the same furniture that was made for others, we began to come up with our own design, and we had our own style. When we lost our suppliers in our country, the rest of the world opened up before us,” recalls Kamprad.


Thus, at the initial stage of activity, the organization survived by extracting new opportunities from problems. Since then, he has seen problems as the engine of progress, and has become wary when IKEA's existence seems too rosy.

According to Ingvar Kamprad, any business should keep in touch with its roots. Therefore, every employee of the IKEA “family” scattered all over the world knows by heart the saga of the birth of the company. Its headquarters are not located in fashionable Stockholm, but in the village of Elmhult, where the first furniture pavilion was opened in 1953. There is also a museum where you can learn about the milestones of her business journey. For IKEA, historical heritage is an integral component of the success of the corporate culture and business philosophy, on which more than one generation has been brought up. managers and ordinary workers.


Researchers argue that teams and organizations driven by a great idea are more productive, even if their ultimate goal is to make money. IKEA was initially guided by the high idea contained in the slogan "Better life for many". Ingvar Kamprad wanted people all over the world to be able to buy beautiful furniture and interior items, and this desire turned into a mission. British magazine Icon wrote: "If it weren't for IKEA, modern home design would be out of reach for most people." And Icon called Kamprad himself "the person who had the strongest influence on the tastes of consumers." In Sweden, they say that IKEA and Kamprad have done more for society than many politicians ...

Kamprad, who never graduated, created a well-established global business mechanism. The company willingly advertises "interesting statistics": the total area of ​​​​its stores is equal to the area of ​​​​almost 600 football fields, its catalogs are printed in a circulation exceeding the circulation of the Bible, every tenth European can consider IKEA beds as the place of his conception. The company has become a symbol of good taste and striving for the best, an indicator of long-awaited belonging to the prosperous middle class for many.

The company spares neither funds nor ingenuity to carry out all kinds of actions. She generously distributes bonuses worth hundreds and thousands of dollars to the first buyers of new stores, regularly holds auctions with extraordinary creative tasks. For example, before opening, several customers are invited to stay for two or three days in the store, then each of them writes an essay on the topic “Why exactly am I worthy of the prize.” This is how IKEA became part of the cultural life of society: its actions attract crowds of like-minded people who communicate and have fun, feeling that they belong to a single microcosm. Several thousand people gathered for the opening of the store in Atlanta in June 2005 - they brought tents, a grill, music and expected a joyful event in a carnival atmosphere. Unfortunately, there is also a "reverse side of the coin" - in moments of excitement, there was often a crush, leading to serious consequences, but this only confirms that IKEA mania is real fanaticism.

The tireless cultivation of "indigenous" values ​​has led to the fact that all employees of the company are faithful followers of the IKEA cult: they are workaholics, enthusiasts and "missionaries". Corporate culture is not well understood by outsiders. For example, company employees are not embarrassed by the fact that tops do not receive any privileges and that top management is always ready to take a direct part in the work of the "bottom". The organization regularly holds "weeks of anti-bureaucracy", during which managers work, for example, as sales assistants or cashiers. CEO Anders Dalvig says, "Recently, I've been unloading cars and selling beds and mattresses."

There is a tough relationship between workers. Everyone should try to become the best, while improving the work of the entire company. On the wall of one of the main offices of IKEA in Helsingborg hangs a giant poster, which reflects the pace and volume of sales on a weekly basis, the best market indicators by country. promotes the principle of self-improvement and demanding of oneself.

But the main thing is that the organization recognizes the right of employees to make mistakes. In the 1970s, IKEA opened in Denmark, which almost went bankrupt. When asked by a journalist whether the head of the bank would be fired, Kamprad replied: “No. This person has acquired useful experience, why would he apply it in another organization?


Despite the commitment to tradition, the company promotes and encourages extraordinary approaches. According to Kamprad himself, “he tries to act differently from what is customary. And so far it has been successful." IKEA, for example, was one of the first to use images of same-sex couples in its ads.

The continued existence of IKEA cannot be called cloudless: the aging population of developed countries does not experience due enthusiasm for the “simple and modern” design, on market rivals with similar products are actively promoted: Italian Argos, Danish Ilva. In addition, the traditional trade is threatened by the boom in online shopping. However, IKEA is not afraid of this: its stores offer the buyer irreplaceable visual and tactile sensations and real pleasure from pastime. IKEA counters the rest of the “threats” with an unprecedented emotional response in the hearts of millions of customers around the world. And this, according to IKEA management, is much more important than market share indicators.

IKEA (IKEA) is

Ikea- Inter IKEA Systems B.V. Création 1943 à Älmhult (Suède) Fondateurs Ingvar Kampr ... Wikipédia en Français


One can talk for hours about the popularity of the brand and the volume of annually produced products. We will say one thing - there are certain positions that have not changed since the founding of the company. It is they who are interested in the company's customers and line up. Today we will talk about the TOP of the most popular IKEA products.

1. Shelf "Billy"

The brand's most sought-after item. This unique product can "grow" as needed. What does it mean? If the rack decorates your personal office or living room and serves as a library for you, and there is no place to place a collection of books, you can simply add shelves of various heights and widths. With one easy movement of the hand, you have received a new piece of furniture!

2. Armchair "Poeng"

A chic invention by a designer from Japan. His amazing armchair has become a mush-have in any interior. In the long history of the existence of the IKEA brand, there has probably never been such a popular product. The famous armchair celebrated its 40th anniversary! On the occasion of such a significant event, a limited series of frames and 6 new types of upholstery were made. Affordable cost, high quality and sophisticated style have helped the product to pass the test for years and not lose popularity.

3. Bed frames series "Malm"

It’s hard to imagine a millennial’s apartment without a comfortable bed from the Malm series. It has bright advantages that cannot be silent - a large storage space and the ability to raise the bed.

4. A series of products for storage "Kallaks"

Managed to become a classic of the IKEA brand. Initially, the series was released under the name "Expedit". It became very popular, and therefore, when they announced the stop of its production, customers were indignant. They were soon calmed down, and the series was returned, but with the new name "Kallax". Comfortable cabinets and shelves of the series can be purchased in any size. Products are durable due to the anti-scratch coating. Rounded corners help soften the impact on furniture.

5. Sheepskin rug "Ludde"

This soft white rug is a must have in front of your home fireplace! What could be better than curling up in a ball by the warm hearth and enjoying the “play” of the flame?! Thanks to the treatment with a special dirt-repellent composition, the rug will not have to be washed for a long time.

6. Carpets "Stockholm"

A colorful series of products created by hand in the Indian centers of the textile industry. These carpets look stylish, and you can buy them in any color variation, from monochrome black and white to variegated colors.

7. Tables "Lakk"

When it comes to this stylish series, the use of the word "simple" is taken as a compliment. Products are offered in various colors, sizes and finishes. Their light weight allows you to easily move the table around the room to achieve the perfect setting for the room.

8. Upholstered furniture "Ektorp"

This series, presented at IKEA, is famous for its reinforced seams, interchangeable cushions and covers. All details can be changed to your liking, which allows you to create a new interior design every time.

9. Table "Doksta"

The most competent solution for furnishing a kitchen in a minimalist style. The design of the product successfully combines the conciseness of the silhouette and the roundness of each edge. Pure white color makes it possible to highlight decorations and chairs in the kitchen space.

10. Sofa "Klippan"

This version of a double product is suitable for arranging an apartment when a modest budget is available. The width of the sofa is only 180 cm, so it can fit even in a small apartment. If desired, you can choose the option of upholstery in modern artificial leather or fabric in various shades. In addition, a replacement cover can be easily purchased for this sofa.

11. Mug "Fairgrick"

Ceramic laconic mug is perfect for decorating a kitchen of any color. In addition, a product made of white ceramics is inexpensive!

12. Ribba Photo Frames

As you know, the main principle of IKEA products is simplicity. A series of frames "Ribba" he did not bypass. Minimalistic trendy frames for paintings and photographs will be an appropriate addition to the walls of any modern interior.

13. Dressers Hamnes

This is a stylish and practical furniture with a laconic design. There is something of a country style in these chests of drawers, but they fit perfectly into classic interiors. If desired, you can repaint the body and add accessories.

14. Frame Silverheiden

This wonderful frame is often used by designers in modern projects to decorate abstract paintings, graphics and posters. It can be positioned vertically or horizontally.

15. Tissedal bedside table

Comfortable bedside tables at an affordable cost will dilute the minimalist bedroom designs.

16. Hupperlig Collection

Tables, sofas, chairs, accessories - all this is done in the Ikeev style. Laconic appearance, thoughtful functionality, durability of materials - these are the main characteristics of each model.

17. Collection of items Spanst

A unique collaboration from an American designer. This collection consists of storage systems, shelving and boxes.

18. Wardrobe Pax

This is a well thought out and stylish wardrobe. It is equipped with numerous shelves and baskets, assembled into a single constructor.

19. Furniture handles Bagganes

Practicality, conciseness, elegance - all this is about this accessory. Handles are available in various lengths, and therefore original combinations are obtained from them on the furniture facades of one room.

Why is it profitable to buy goods in IKEA?

  • For a modern busy person, the lack of free time is a “sore” issue. But what to do when you need to buy something for the house? The service of the IKEA store will be a pleasant find for you!
  • You can place an order for any product you like on the official website of the company. Here, each product has a quality certificate and a guarantee from the manufacturer, so there is no need to worry about the reliability and quality of the product.
  • Delivery can be arranged at the order desk or directly to your address. In this way, you can save not only precious time, but also money, since all items in IKEA are distinguished by reasonable prices.
  • All brand products are distinguished by exclusive designer solutions, and therefore the range can be safely attributed to luxury, comfort and chic!


The furniture brand IKEA is known without exaggeration all over the world, and the products of this company can be seen in many homes. The Dutch-Swedish company is the world's largest furniture retailer, with an annual turnover of billions of dollars. IKEA has over 150,000 employees worldwide. Our review contains little-known facts about this company, which are usually not told to buyers.

1. IKEA Store Layouts Have a Code Name


In fact, almost any store or stand of this company resembles a labyrinth, which is designed so that the buyer sees all possible goods along the way. Among employees, this layout is called "Long Natural Way"

2. There are secret passages


For those who want to get to bedding quickly, but don't want to go through textiles, bathroom products, etc., you should know that any IKEA store has hidden passages through which you can get to any place as quickly as possible. Usually they are open to visitors, but it is not easy to notice them.

3. "Fast routes" through maze stores often change


This is done due to the fact that clients eventually learn all the secret passages and everyone starts using them. And the goal of the IKEA management is for the buyer to see almost the entire range along the way.

4. Walls can be moved


Almost all partitions inside IKEA showrooms are mounted on wheels and can be moved. Usually the wheels are locked to prevent people from accidentally moving the baffles.

5. People usually buy furniture that is on display.


Usually people don't bother choosing and order what they saw on the display stand.

6. Departments that are made to "empty wallets"


IKEA stores are literally littered with piles of small and practical things that are very cheap and hard to refuse. The departments where they are sold are called "wallet emptying" departments.

7. Bulla Bulla


Another way to get people to buy something they didn't plan on is the "bulla-bull method," as employees called it. Large containers are packed to overflowing with hundreds of varieties of goods to give the impression of volume and, therefore, cheapness.

8. You can take a nap on any sofa.


All exhibited furniture can be tested. The client has the right to lie down on any sofa or bed and take a nap. Employees will wake him up only after 2-3 hours. This is done to make people feel at home in stores, and also for the reason that after such "test drives" customers are more willing to buy furniture.

9. People who know about the nuances prefer not to sleep on the furniture in the store.


Pillows on show beds are only changed once a month, and pillowcases are only changed when they look dirty on the outside. The same goes for blankets and duvet covers.

10. Opening packages


Customers at IKEA can feel any product and eagerly take advantage of this opportunity. They touch the goods, feel them, try how to sit or lie on them. But often, customers open the packaging of goods, after which stores simply cannot sell these goods and are forced to send them for cleaning and repacking or write them off.

11. Store employees are not allowed to offer help themselves and impose themselves


Passive-aggressive shoppers are sure to be disappointed in an IKEA store. Employees are given instructions: "If the client needs help, he must contact the sales assistant himself. You need to explain something to clients only if they themselves ask for it."

12. Books in the exhibition hall are often brought by employees from home libraries.


IKEA stores sell bookshelves among other items, but empty shelves are not particularly attractive. Therefore, employees are asked to bring books from their own collections to fill the empty space. As a rule, the management asks to bring books that match a certain color scheme.

13. Most popular products


BILLY wardrobe and LACK table.

14. Serial numbers can tell you almost everything about a product.


The eight-digit code that is assigned to each IKEA product hides a lot of useful information. For example, if the code ends with 40, this indicates the blue color of the product. The penultimate digit 4 denotes the range of blue colors, and if at the end there is 1, then it is light blue, and 2 is dark blue.

15. Quarrels in the store


Couples who really want to test their relationship should go to IKEA and pick something up. Lovers fight in the store so often that some psychologists advise their patients to go to the store if they doubt their feelings.

16. Personnel communicate in coded phrases in case of incidents


In the event of any incident in the store, coded messages are transmitted through the selector. For example, "Code 22" indicates an incident near the checkout related to payment, and "Code 99" indicates that a child is lost in the store.

17. A few hours before opening


At the end of the night, all internal partitions are moved (which, as mentioned above, are on wheels). This is done in such a way as to form a large empty space in the center of the store. Pallets with new goods are brought there, which are packaged until the store opens.

18. Christmas gifts


IKEA is quite well known for providing good benefits to its employees at the end of the year. Gifts are often distributed - from electronics to air tickets to anywhere in the world.

19. IKEA sales are growing thanks to Pinterest


Network employees say: if a product began to sell very quickly, then one of the buyers on the Pinterest service posted its photo and description.

Especially for those who decided to save on buying new furniture. Everyone can do it.

Ikea has a number of excellent products that cost less than 100 rubles. And these are not just some disposable things, but quite suitable and high-quality household goods. I decided to make a kind of hit parade of such super-budget, but very popular products. Many of these celebrities are not on the site.

7. BESTIS cleaning roller. The price is 49 rubles. Perfectly copes with animal hair, removes dust and fluff from clothes. We have at home. A set of interchangeable tapes of 4 pieces costs 129 rubles. Each tape has 60 strips, which is more than similar tapes from other manufacturers.

8. Stickers for furniture legs FIXA. Protect the floor from scratches, make the process of moving furniture more silent. A pack of 20 pieces of different diameters costs 29 rubles.


photo - IKEA

9. MOL markers. Convenient large markers. 99 rubles, 12 pieces in a box.


photo - IKEA

10. Well, our last hero ... hot dog. Yes, yes, the same hot dog from the IKEA bistro. He didn't just end up on this list. The fact is that in IKEA "hot dogs" are called cheap goods with a very small margin, which are incredibly popular with buyers and sometimes create the image of an Ikea store where everything costs 3 kopecks.

Such "hot dogs" will always be presented in the assortment of the store.


photo from internet

Add your favorite products worth up to 100 rubles in the comments!


As children, we all dreamed of being forgotten in the toy store for at least one night, in order to play enough of all this diversity. Now we have grown up and dream about completely different, adult things. For example, to be forgotten in the IKEA hypermarket. Here's a series of promotional photos about it What if you lived at IKEA? from Christian Gideon (Christian Gideon).




The furniture company IKEA has always approached its own advertising with great respect and great imagination. Moreover, she usually advertises not specific products, but her brand itself. And, I must say, she does it in a very creative and diverse way. Take at least or, which is a kitchen on a tree.





So the new advertising project from IKEA, embodied by photographer Christian Gideon, turned out to be very unusual and memorable. A series of photographs with the general title "What if you lived at IKEA?" talks about what people would do if they lived in an IKEA store.





These photographs show two ordinary men aged 20 to 30 who live their lives to the fullest: reading books, taking a shower, cooking, doing laundry, sleeping, watching TV, working in the office, sorting through old photographs, cleaning the house and the like. . But this happens not in a private house or apartment, but in an IKEA hypermarket.





The essence of this photo project is obvious to anyone. IKEA stores have all the furniture and many other goods that a person needs for life. You just have to come and buy them. And, if there is any doubt, anyone can touch this furniture, use it: sit on sofas, lie down on beds, go to the toilet. Although, no, the latter is unlikely.



And, I must say that after viewing the photos of “What if you lived at IKEA?” from Christian Gideon, one of the slogans of this Swedish furniture giant, namely, “IKEA it’s our home”, is perceived in a completely different way.




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