Revolutionary from the start, Sweden’s IKEA still does things its own way
ALMHULT, SWEDEN – Most furniture chains don’t have hard-core fans who camp out in
parking lots before grand openings or blog about copycat competition in
China.
But Ikea is more than a chain. The blue-and-yellow warehouse
jammed with low-cost, high-style furniture and housewares is closer to a design
revolution.
At company headquarters this spring, project manager Lars
Dafnas summed up Ikea’s appeal in just three words: “Natural. Blond. Solid.”
It’s a short profile that has cut a long swath through the global furniture
market, making Ikea the world’s leading home-furnishings retailer.
Target’s “Global Bazaar” and Cost Plus World Market – Ikea balances two
seemingly contradictory truths. It remains rooted in Scandinavian design, even
as its global reach, toward customers “and” suppliers, broadens each
year.
In-house, Ikea divides all its products into four style groups:
Young Swede, Scandinavian, modern and country. You won’t read or hear anything
about these divisions in Ikea stores or catalogs, but a big chunk of the
company’s output is designed for its own corner of the world.”
Maggie Galehouse
Houston Chronicle/AZ Central
