Ingka Group to return government support received during COVID-19 pandemic peak

IKEA Retail countries have started dialogues with governments about returning support received to help cover co-workers’ salaries during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Also, in cases where co-workers did not receive their full pay, Ingka Group will retrospectively make up any shortfall. 

In the months of March and April, when most of the IKEA stores were closed globally and the future was unclear, Ingka Group used the possibility to receive government support related to co-workers’ contracted salaries.   

“Our main priority at the height of the pandemic was to ensure we could protect as many livelihoods as possible, for as long as possible. With so much uncertainty, we took the decision to accept support offered by governments and we are grateful for the support given during this difficult time”, said Tolga Öncü, Retail Operations Manager, IKEA Retail (Ingka Group). 

“Not all co-workers received their full pay during this time, and we are committed to making up the shortfall and ensure that all of our co-workers will get their full salary”, said Öncü.  

The pandemic is moving into a new phase, and nearly 90 percent of the IKEA stores operated by Ingka Group have now reopened, with increased robust health and safety measures in place. Customers are returning to the physical IKEA stores at the same time as e-commerce has grown.  

“No one knows how things will continue to develop, but we are feeling more hopeful about the future. Therefore, we decided to not apply for any further support and to start the process of returning what we have received” said Öncü.  

Ingka Group is committed to continuing to play a strong role in society, building back stronger from this crisis and continuing to be led by its purpose of creating a better everyday life for the many people. 

Nearly 166,000 co-workers are employed by Ingka Group.    

For further information, journalists and media professionals can contact us at press.office@ingka.com or by calling +46 70 993 6376

Ingka Group (Ingka Holding B.V. and its controlled entities) is one of 12 different groups of companies that own and operate IKEA retail under franchise agreements with Inter IKEA Systems B.V. Ingka Group has three business areas: IKEA Retail, Ingka Investments and Ingka Centres. Ingka Group is a strategic partner in the IKEA franchise system, operating 380 IKEA stores in 30 countries. These IKEA stores had 839 million visits during FY19 and 2.6 billion visits to IKEA.com. Ingka Group operates business under the IKEA vision - to create a better everyday life for the many people by offering a wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible can afford it.