Get to know IKEA

29 Jul 2020 IKEA Catalogue 2021 – The handbook for a better everyday life at home

This year’s edition of the IKEA catalogue marks its 70th birthday and to help celebrate, it is turned into something that everyone can enjoy and find useful: a handbook for a better everyday life at home!Life is a series of new starts, sometimes they come when you expect them and just as often, when you don’t. Transitions to what’s next in our everchanging lives require new ways of thinking, new perspectives, new habits, new ideas and new solutions.That is why this year’s IKEA catalogue is created as a handbook, that feels like a friendly and optimistic problem solver full of smart tips, hands-on ideas and small affordable shifts, rooted in real life at home. It is a way of sharing knowledge, a point of view that a better home creates a better everyday life at home. The handbook is filled with “how to’s” – how creating a better home don’t have to be complicated, expensive or time consuming.“Life at home has never been as important as it is today. We know that to most people living is synonymous with small space living. It's not always a choice or just a temporary thing. More people have even more limited budgets today. That’s why most of the solutions featured in this year’s catalogue are accessible for people with small budgets and for small spaces” says Caroline Hjertström, Range Communication Manager, IKEA Communications.The IKEA catalogue 2021 aims to inspire people to live healthier and more sustainable lives at home. “We want to help you get there: one small step, one new habit, one ergonomic pillow, one new recipe, one water saving tap or one new desk for your (home) office” says Caroline.The IKEA catalogue 2021 is not just a catalogue. It’s content of inspiration and knowledge of life at home. Content for all IKEA online and offline channels, for digital and physical touchpoints.This 70 year old is still going strong and appreciated for its content. “We are continuing to develop the global marketing channels and at the same time we also create content locally to become even more market relevant with a selection of styles, situations, segments and stories” says Caroline."On the path to a better life at home, small steps make a big difference".  About IKEA IKEA offers well-designed, functional and affordable, high-quality home furnishing, produced with care for people and the environment. There are several companies with different owners, working under the IKEA Brand, all sharing the same vision: to create a better everyday life for the many people. IKEA was founded in Sweden in 1943.Inter IKEA GroupThe core business within Inter IKEA Group are franchising, range, supply and industry. Inter IKEA Systems B.V. is the owner of the IKEA Concept and the worldwide IKEA franchisor, that also assigns different IKEA companies to develop range, supply and communication. These assignments are carried out by IKEA of Sweden AB, IKEA Supply AG, IKEA Food Services AB and IKEA Communications AB.

16 Jul 2020 IKEA introduces a plant ball for meat lovers - A more sustainable alternative to the iconic IKEA meatball.

The plant ball that has only 4% of the climate footprint of the meatball has been created with one main purpose – to recreate the meatball without meat. With ingredients like pea protein, oats,  apples and potatoes we have worked hard to recreate this well know classic IKEA product to be a more sustainable option for the many meatball lovers without compromising on the taste and the texture. The plant ball that has only 4% of the climate footprint of the meatball has been created with one main purpose – to recreate the meatball without meat. With ingredients like pea protein, oats,  apples and potatoes we have worked hard to recreate this well know classic IKEA product to be a more sustainable option for the many meatball lovers without compromising on the taste and the texture. Being true to our ambition of becoming an even more sustainable food business, IKEA challenges a brand icon – the meatball, creating a more sustainable option for the many meatball lovers. The new plant ball, a plant based meat substitute, is made with yellow pea protein, oats, potatoes, onion and apple, but looks and tastes like meat. With a climate footprint of only 4% of the classic IKEA meatball, the plant ball contributes to the IKEA ambition to become climate positive by 2030.“At IKEA we sell more than one billion meatballs every year. Imagine if we could get some of our many meatball lovers to choose the plant ball instead. If we were to convert about 20% of our meatball sales to plant balls that would mean around 8% reduction of our climate footprint for the food business at IKEA.*”, says Sharla Halvorson, Health & Sustainability Manager for the IKEA food business globally.Driven by the vision to create a better everyday life for the many people, IKEA wants to inspire a more sustainable eating and lifestyle habits with a positive impact on people and the planet. Adding the plant ball to the IKEA food offer contributes to this ambition.“In order to reduce the climate footprint of the IKEA food business, we need to reduce the amount of traditional meatballs that we sell. With the new plant ball we can now offer meat lovers a more sustainable alternative – without compromising on the IKEA meatball experience that is loved by so many,” explains Sharla.In the IKEA restaurants the plant ball will be served with mashed potatoes, lingonberries, and cream sauce, in the same way as the traditional dish and at the same, low price. Customers can also buy a bag of frozen plant balls from the Swedish Food Market, and prepare them at home. The recipe of the plant ball does not include animal-based ingredients, which make this new addition to the IKEA food range a suitable option for the many – meatball lovers, flexitarians, vegetarians and vegans.**“In the development phase of the plant ball our key objective has been to recreate the meat-like taste and texture, only using plant based ingredients. We have tried and tested different ingredients and methods and we are very pleased with the final results”, says Alexander Magnusson, chef and project leader at IKEA food.The plant ball launches in the EU in Au­gust 2020; IKEA stores in North America, Middle East and the Asia Pacific region will follow a couple of months later.*These calculations are based on volumes sold in FY18**The plant ball does not include animal based ingredients. Served in the traditional way, with mashed potato and lingonberry jam, the dish includes dairy products and is not suitable for a vegan diet.

01 Jun 2020 IKEA and Ellen MacArthur Foundation enter strategic partnership to accelerate the circular economy transition

IKEA is committed to becoming a circular business by 2030. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation is a global thought leader on the circular economy. The strategic partnership announced by Inter IKEA Group and Ellen MacArthur Foundation today will focus on putting the home furnishing business on the global circular map and accelerating the transition to a circular economy within IKEA and beyond. The shared ambition is to create lasting impact on a global scale and drive transformation towards a circular society.“To become circular is one of our big ambitions and challenges for the future. It is a transformational shift for our entire business. Our goal is to give products and materials a longer life through reuse, refurbishment, remanufacturing, and, as a last option, recycling. We believe this requires leadership and collaboration. We are very happy to work with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation to both advance our own transition and to make the circular economy a central part of the home furnishing industry. One of our first projects together will be to develop a global common dictionary on circular economy that can support an industry-wide transition”, says Lena Pripp-Kovac, Chief Sustainability Officer, Inter IKEA Group.Already today, IKEA has made progress towards becoming a circular business; the first refurbishment tests took place in FY19. Sofas were refurbished and resold, providing knowledge for future scaling potential. IKEA is also exploring services enabling customers to acquire, care for and pass on products in circular ways. IKEA has developed circular product design principles for the development of all products, with the ambition to only use renewable and recycled materials by 2030. Today, more than 60% of the IKEA product range is based on renewable materials, like wood and cotton, and more than 10% contains recycled materials. By the end of FY19, the overall share of polyester in textile products being recycled reached 59%. rPET is used in products including rugs, curtains, roller blinds, bedding, pillows, quilts, sofa cover, as well as storage boxes and bags. “We are delighted to partner with IKEA, who share our belief that through the circular economy, businesses can play a vital role in meeting many of the challenges we face today, such as climate change, waste and pollution. The circular economy empowers businesses to rethink how they create value, in ways that benefit the environment, society, and the economy. This is an exciting opportunity to help transform an industry that is not only a significant part of the global economy, but has such a strong, personal connection to individuals and communities around the world”, said Andrew Morlet, CEO at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.Through this partnership IKEA and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation will be:Developing global definitions which are key to enable a circular economy that are fact-based, transparent and easy to understand and follow-upAdvocating for circular design and inspiring a new generation of designersImpacting legislation to accelerate the transition to a circular economyPromoting circular offers to our customers and inspiring new behaviours *IKEA has already a history of collaborating with Ellen MacArthur through the IKEA franchisee Ingka Group. Inter IKEA Group is now entering a strategic partnership with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation which will increase the ambition of the partnership and benefit businesses across the IKEA franchise system and value chain. About IKEAIKEA offers well-designed, functional and affordable, high-quality home furnishing, produced with care for people and the environment. There are several companies with different owners, working under the IKEA Brand, all sharing the same vision: to create a better everyday life for the many people. IKEA was founded in Sweden in 1943.Inter IKEA GroupThe core business within Inter IKEA Group are franchising, range, supply and industry. Inter IKEA Systems B.V. is the owner of the IKEA Concept and the worldwide IKEA franchisor, that also assigns different IKEA companies to develop range, supply and communication. These assignments are carried out by IKEA of Sweden AB, IKEA Supply AG, IKEA Food Services AB and IKEA Communications AB.  About the Ellen MacArthur FoundationThe Ellen MacArthur Foundation was launched in 2010 with the aim of accelerating the transition to the circular economy. Since its creation, the charity has emerged as a global thought leader, putting the circular economy on the agenda of decision-makers around the world. The charity’s work focuses on seven key areas: insight and analysis; business; institutions, governments, and cities; systemic initiatives; circular design; learning; and communications.Further information: www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org | @circulareconomy

28 May 2020 Konrad Grüss becomes new Managing Director of Inter IKEA Systems B.V.

Today Inter IKEA Systems B.V. announces Konrad Grüss will become its new Managing Director. Konrad will start his new role as per 1 June 2020. He succeeds Jon Abrahamson Ring, who will become CEO of Inter IKEA Group as per 1 September.Inter IKEA Systems B.V. is the owner of the IKEA Concept and worldwide IKEA franchisor. Konrad Grüss is its Global IKEA Expansion Manager, and he has been acting manager for the franchise business since February 2020.“I am happy that Konrad has accepted the role as Managing Director for Inter IKEA Systems. He brings a wealth of experience, expertise and knowledge of the IKEA business and franchise system to this role. He has a great ability to connect people and business, and he has a genuine passion to continue to develop the role of IKEA franchisor”, says Jon Abrahamsson, Deputy CEO, Inter IKEA Group.Konrad has rich experience from throughout the IKEA franchise system. He started his career in the IKEA store in Leipzig in 1994 and later served as Business Leader for Kitchens in IKEA of Sweden and as Deputy Retail Manager in Russia. He joined Inter IKEA Systems in 2015, where he has held various management roles.Konrad most recently served as Global IKEA Expansion Manager. Under his leadership the IKEA franchise system expanded to include more than 50 markets.  Inter IKEA Systems also on-boarded Falabella – a new IKEA franchisee – which will bring IKEA products to South America for the first time.“I am very humbled and honoured to get the trust to lead the global IKEA franchisor and build on the strategies that we have developed over the past few years. I look forward to working together with IKEA franchisees, the different IKEA companies and core businesses to build an even stronger global franchise that is able to improve the lives of the many people, wherever they are,” says Konrad.In his new role, Konrad will be responsible to lead the development of the IKEA Concept and ensure its successful implementation in existing and new markets. Building on established strategies and recent achievements, he will focus on further clarifying the role of the global franchisor, simplifying Inter IKEA Systems operations and strengthening collaborations across the IKEA network based on its strong culture and values.Konrad’s successor as Expansion Manager will be announced within the nearest future.