Consumers help design Ikea's newest Canadian store
By Michael J. Knell -- Furniture Today, August 11, 2003
Vaughan, Ontario — Ikea has opened its 11th Canadian store in this north Toronto suburb, the first in its worldwide network designed with the help of a 64-person task force that included customers, non-customers and employees.
Located at Highway 400 and Highway 7, with some of the heaviest traffic in metro Toronto, Ikea Vaughan caters to an ethnically diverse and family-oriented demographic. Of the 1.5 million visitors the home furnishings giant believes will visit the store in its first year, 60% will come from households with children.
Luc Lauwers, president of Ikea Canada, projects first-year sales of about C$85 million. During its grand opening on a Wednesday, over 5,500 people passed through the doors, a record for such an event in Canada.
Ikea Canada is the No. 3 furniture merchant in the country, with furniture, bedding and accessory sales of C$359 million in 2001 from eight stores. Since the beginning of 2002, it has opened two other stores, one in Coquitlam, British Columbia, and the other in Boucherville, Quebec.
Ikea Vaughan has 85,000 square feet of selling space in a 317,200-square-foot facility, and carries all 11,000 products in the company's core lineup. It features five full home settings, 46 room settings and 11 kitchen settings, all fully furnished and accessorized.
Store Manager Fares Assaf said the design task force was formed to create a store that will serve as a benchmark for future Ikea stores around the world. "We listened to what stakeholders told us is missing and built on Ikea's existing strengths," he said. "We learned that thoughtful details make a big difference for customers."
The task force produced recommendations in four key areas: customer convenience, family-friendliness, product presentation and co-worker (employee) experience. Most of these were incorporated into the new box.
Assaf believes the end result is a store that creates a pleasant shopping experience for the entire family, from babes in arms to impatient teens to young marrieds to empty-nesters.
"Shopping at this store should be a fun day out for the entire family," he said.
Some of the innovations at Ikea Vaughan include:
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It's the first Ikea in North America built as a "one-room concept" on the lower level, giving customers a clear, end-to-end view of the store from wherever they stand. Aisle widths have been doubled and form a grid that makes it easier for customers to navigate the store.
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It's the first Ikea in the world to offer a touch-screen directional system customers can use to locate a product, a department or exit.
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It's the first Ikea in Canada with an outdoor playground where people can play with their kids while their partner shops.
Inside, five seasonally themed "Plus Shop" areas were created on the upper level to answer the question: "What would a person need in this area of the home at this time of year?"
"The goal," Assaf said, "is to provide ideas and inspiration, so for example customers can choose a sofa and get coordinating throw pillows and blankets in the same place."
New architectural features include four separate "bump outs," glass spaces to showcase such things as loft living and Ikea design collections.
To improve the work-life balance for its staff, the store offers such new amenities as a dry cleaning service, an exercise room and a quiet room for reading, prayer and meditation.
"This new concept will serve as an international test for Ikea," Lauwers said. "If it proves successful, the knowledge will be shared around the world. Perhaps it will be implemented in many stores in different countries. The concept has been created uniquely in Canada, but can be used at other Ikeas worldwide."
