The Beginning
Ikea was founded in 1943 in Sweden, Almhult. And now, it has become one of the most successful companies in the world. It has more than 155000 employees. It operates in more than 28 countries and its products are a sign of quality and good taste. Everybody wants to own an Ikea. In fact, people travel thousands of kilometers to buy an Ikea.
But you probably know this. I mean, who doesn’t. It is Ikea, for crying out loud. You probably own an Ikea yourself. What’s most impressive, though, is just how big these Ikea stores are. It is crazy. Considering that the first Ikea store opened outside of Sweden was in 1963, in Norway, it is pretty impressive what they have accomplished.
Range
Last year, in 2021, it opened two stores that are particularly important. And that reflects the power and the universality of these stores. Let me explain.
It opened one store in Mexico, and it opened another one in the Philippines. Can you imagine that? And it’s not just that. The store in the Philippines is the biggest Ikea store of Ikea in the world. It is the size of the Versailles Palace, in France. It is in a mall that has up to five floors. Yes, five. It is 700,000 square feet long. And well, it is massive.
If you know the Versailles palace, it is huge. This palace started to get built-in 1623. And it was a royal palace. The Ikea store, it’s not so royal, it is for you and me.
And all this in the midst of a pandemic year. Covid – 19 has hit us hard. And it has hit everybody hard. We, as a world, have been struggling for more than two years now. And the virus doesn’t seem to back down, even with vaccines.
Still, Ikea managed to open two stores on the opposite side of the world. In the east and the west. Conquering the whole world. All tastes, all costumes, all traditions. It has no boundaries. For example, here is a list of Ikea’s biggest stores, not counting the one already mentioned:
Ikea’s biggest stores
1.- Stockholm, Sweden2.- Cologne, Germany3.- Beijing, China4.- Japan5.- Dalian, China6.- Vienna, Austria7.- London, United Kingdom8.- Copenhagen, Denmark9.- Paris, France10.- Gent, Belgium
As you can see, the market Ikea has conquered is the world. And now, starting this year, with a store opening in Mexico, it starts its conquest of Latin America. Who will doubt they can do it? Would you bet against them? I wouldn’t. It’s like betting against Michel Jordan, Tom Brady, or Tiger Woods. They always win. Always.
Let’s not forget, Ikea is the biggest company that makes furniture. The biggest. Ingvar Kamprad, the founder of the company, probably never imagined it would become so successful. But it has.
According to its own website (www.ikea.com), Ikea has 68 stores in North America, 3 in Africa, 274 in Europe, 15 in the middle East, 93 in Asia, and 10 in Oceania. Being Germany, the country with the most Ikea stores in the world. But they are in Spain and the Dominican Republic. They even have plans to open in Brazil, one of the biggest markets in the world out here, in which they haven’t set foot on. One can only imagine, one day, this will be Ikea’s world, and we will only be living in it.
Their stores
They have over 12000 products on their website. Their stores even have a place for your kids, so you can look for furniture at ease. With no worries or hurries. They even have restaurants with traditional Swedish food. Like meatballs. But they also adapt their menu to the city in which they are. Adapting, always adapting.
For example, they are even on a protocol right now, to phase out all plastic use by 2028. Setting trends not only in fashion, but also in sustainable economic growth. And it does not end there. They are on a path to, by 2040, only use zero emission fuels for ocean shipping. Yes, that’s right.
Conclusion
So, where do you buy your furniture? A local store? Is it personally made for you? Do you buy wood? Or do you avoid it? To each his own. Sure. But what we put inside our houses is one of the most personal decisions one can make. Is where you sit to watch tv, to unwind. Is where you sit to watch your kid grow up. Is where you sit, with your life partner.
But whichever the answers are, probably, there is an Ikea near your town, or somewhere near your city. And with the possibility to shop online, you can really just buy anywhere now.
Give it a try.
