On 1 March 2017, IKEA Retail Australia (part of INGKA Holding B.V. and its controlled entities) acquires Cebas Pty Ltd. and brings all of IKEA retail operations in Australia under one common ownership structure. The two stores in south and western Australia, IKEA Adelaide and IKEA Perth, will now be operated by IKEA Retail Australia.
This acquisition means that the number of IKEA franchisees around the world changes from 13 to 12. All of them are independent from Inter IKEA Group. INGKA Holding B.V. and its controlled entities (sometimes referred to as IKEA Group) is one of them. The franchise agreement gives the franchisee the right to operate one or more IKEA stores in a specific market and to market and sell IKEA products under the IKEA Brand in that market. The franchisee also gets access to systems, methods and proven solutions to operate IKEA stores and sell IKEA products. For example, IKEA know-how, store layouts, staff training, manuals, market research, and ongoing development of the IKEA Concept.
IKEA is continuously looking for new ways to reach more customers in existing and new markets. Having all IKEA stores in Australia operated by the same franchisee will enable a better meeting with the customer in a multi-channel environment and create a more accessible IKEA.
