Ikea keeps furniture floors fresh as it expands markets
Carole Sloan -- Furniture Today, August 21, 2006
Plymouth Meeting, Pa. — In recent years, under the leadership of Pernille Spiers-Lopez, president of Ikea North America, the lifestyle retailing giant has moved dramatically from its previous offering — an endless sea of furniture presented by rigid product categories — to a more creative room approach.
In this approach, stores now focus on presenting furniture solutions for dining, living and sleeping needs with room settings and vignettes.
The revised approach began with the opening of the Paramus, N.J., store in 2003. That store also featured a more kid-friendly atmosphere, with vignettes that include kids' toys and games. The store also features a play area within the kids' furnishings department that has been replicated across the chain.
Also new under Spiers-Lopez' leadership is a focus on small business. The company sees small business as an area with "great growth" potential for furniture, said Spiers-Lopez. "Ikea is a destination for furnishing your small business needs. Our stores are offering more solutions with inspirational room settings for small business solutions."
Key to the company's success is its corporate and global product development operation, based in Sweden.
The company has 28 stores in the United States and 237 globally. It plans to open three to five new units a year here and has new locations under way in West Chester, Ohio; Brooklyn, N.Y.; Draper, Utah; Dublin, Calif.; Orlando, Fla.; Portland, Ore.; Round Rock, Texas; Somerville, Mass.; and Sunrise, Fla.
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