SEPTEMBER 2020: Ingka Group news
- New IKEA store, planning studios and second-hand store open in Germany, Spain and Sweden
- Ingka Group implements a zero-fossil fuel approach
- Ingka Centres acquires shopping centre in San Francisco
- IKEA Sweden collaborates with Spotify to create Rhythm of Life
- IKEA launches the seventh edition of the Life at Home Report
The first day of September began with the opening of the first-ever IKEA planning studio in Berlin, Pankow. With its central city location, the planning studio differs from the four existing IKEA stores in the Berlin area and is part of the expansion strategy to make IKEA more convenient and more accessible to the many people. It will include the usual touch and feel of an IKEA store but adapted for a smaller product range, and a focus on services and sustainable living.
On 24 September, IKEA opened its newest standard store in Germany. The 5-level store in Karlsruhe inspires customers to live more sustainably. To facilitate for as many customers as possible to choose alternative transportation, a tailor-made delivery concept with cargo bikes and e-cargo trailers is available. The store also has a 12,000m2 green rooftop covered with plants, grasses and herbs. The heating is connected to the existing district heating network, powered by a combined heat-power plant, and all sanitary facilities are operated by rainwater to save drinking water.
The new planning studio in Barcelona opened on the same day in Sant Pere de Ribes – which is located between some of the most important municipalities in the region, including Vilanova i la Geltrú and Sitges. Here, the focus is on inspiration, and besides offering a more personalised experience, there will be no items directly for sale, with orders placed online and delivered either to a pick-up point or directly to their home.
In Sweden, IKEA Retail Sweden announced the world’s first second-hand IKEA in a shopping centre dedicated only to retailers selling reused, organic or sustainably produced products. Located in the greater Stockholm region, the store will offer IKEA products that have been repaired and restored to its former glory, at a fraction of the price.
Ingka Group implements a zero-fossil fuel approach
Continuing the sustainability journey, Ingka Group organised the two-day sustainability-focused co-creation event ONE HOME, ONE PLANET (OHOP).
During OHOP, Ingka Group collaborated with over 300 sustainable leaders, NGOs and business partners from many different parts of society to help develop, shape and find solutions to help to make a positive impact for the world to become a healthier, fairer and more sustainable place to live.
At the event, Ingka Group announced plans to increase sustainability investments to support the IKEA sustainability goals. The company is implementing a zero-fossil fuel approach to align with new updated environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) standards, and is committed to taking climate action with the commitment to reduce more greenhouse gas emissions than the IKEA value chain emits, by 2030.
Ingka Centres acquires shopping centre in San Francisco
This month, Ingka Centres, part of Ingka Group, acquired the 6X6 building in downtown San Francisco.
As a step towards meeting newer trends when it comes to meeting places and retail parks, Ingka Centres plans to redesign the building at 945 Market Street into a unique space where everyone can find everything they need at the same time as they grow, learn, connect, meet and have fun.
The mixed-use shopping centre, with IKEA at the core, embraces the local community, adapts to the many people and their lifestyles and is planned to open in autumn 2021.
IKEA Sweden collaborates with Spotify to create Rhythm of Life
In collaboration with Spotify, IKEA Sweden released playlists that follow the everyday rhythm of the listeners. In this collaboration, which is named Rhythm of Life, playlists are created based on individual music preferences and the type of mood and tempo desired at different times of the day.
In this joint effort, the two companies' areas of expertise meet. IKEA is an expert on life at home and how to create a better and more sustainable everyday life, which is combined with Spotify's knowledge of music and how it is naturally integrated into people's everyday lives.
IKEA launches the seventh Life at Home Report
Published on 17 September, this year’s Life at Home Report explores the shift in the importance of home for the many people. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, people are spending more time in their homes and new priorities and life patterns have emerged. The report focuses on how this turbulent year has affected us and it looks ahead into how this will shape the future in the way we live and our relationships with family, friends and home – calling it The Big Home Reboot.
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.
