September 2021: Ingka Group News

• IKEA opened its doors for its first ever IKEA Festival 
• Ingka Investments acquired land in New Zealand 
• IKEA France offered express naps all over Paris
• IKEA launched a campaign in Poland appreciating what matters most
• “Marriage bed for all” campaign in Switzerland
• Two new IKEA planning studios open in Sweden

IKEA opened its doors for its first ever IKEA Festival 
IKEA hosted its first virtual IKEA home tour around the world this month. The free IKEA Festival played out across many virtual rooms full of experiences related to music, food, design and life at home. As part of the 24-hour Festival happenings, IKEA shared news, behind-the-scenes access and made IKEA history accessible through the grand opening of IKEA Museum Digital with the many people.

In total, the IKEA Festival took place in over 100 homes in more than 50 countries. The IKEA Festival platform continues to be available as a hub for everything about making life at home better. New content will be added throughout the year, building a global community that connects homes all over the world.

Ingka Investments acquired land in New Zealand  
As part of its commitment to responsible forest management, Ingka Group has acquired land in New Zealand. The property is located in Otago in the South Island and will be used for a 30 plus year afforestation scheme to plant new forests. The investment is managed by Ingka Investments, the investment arm of Ingka Group.

As a long-term investment, Ingka Investments will focus on growing the forest over this period which will contribute to removing CO2 from the atmosphere, storing carbon and developing an ecosystem to encourage and sustain biodiversity. This investment will also create employment in the region.

IKEA France offered express naps all over Paris
Earlier this month, Parisian IKEA customers were offered a place to recharge their batteries with help of IKEA France’s campaign “la sieste IKEA”. For a couple of days a fleet of eight electric bikes were towing capsules converted into sleeping rooms with all the necessary comfort. These sleep pods were available to Parisians to provide them with up to 30 minutes of regenerative nap during a stressful working day, which was well received. 

The delivery of a nap capsule could easily be initiated thanks to a participation system on Twitter and Instagram. In case all the capsules were occupied, IKEA offered its customers valuable tips and tricks on how to get a truly restful sleep and thus enhance their day.

IKEA Poland campaign focuses on what really matters
IKEA Poland launched a new campaign this month emphasizing on what matters most in life: relationships with loved ones and experiencing emotions. Meanwhile, IKEA will take care of other things in the house, which helps the many people to focus on what is actually important. 

In the commercial, furniture and accessories remain invisible, picturing only their purposes. A table becomes a meeting place, and a cup of hot tea a symbol of feelings. The plot narrates that during important moments we don’t have to think about objects because that’s taken care of by IKEA making sure that we can focus on what matters. The campaign reflects the IKEA vision of supporting everyday life at home together with the needs of the inhabitants, which are not only rational but also emotional. Check out the video below!

“Marriage bed for all” campaign in Switzerland 
On 26 September 2021, Swiss voters decided in a nationwide referendum to allow same-sex marriage. Nearly two thirds approved the change in the law giving all couples equal rights on marriage and adoption.
 

IKEA Switzerland proactively supported the referendum through advocacy and a public “marriage bed for all” campaign. “A year ago, we supported paternity leave,” says Jessica Anderen, CEO & CSO, IKEA Switzerland. “On marriage for all, we had the same stance. And because we are not just any company, we needed to speak out.” IKEA is committed to creating a fair and equal workplace for everyone no matter gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, race, nationality or disability. This includes advocating for a more equal, fair and inclusive society.

Two new IKEA planning studios open in Sweden
In September, IKEA opened the doors to two new planning studios in Sweden: one in Norrköping at Ingelsta Galleria and one on Kungsgatan in Gothenburg. The IKEA planning studios don’t offer products to be brought home directly, instead IKEA customers will meet home furnishing experts and receive personalized service to plan their homes or order products from the entire IKEA range. All products are then delivered where the customer prefers. 

IKEA is testing smaller store solutions to spread home furnishing expertise to the many people and to get closer to its customers. In the coming year several new store formats will open up in different locations in Sweden.