Why IKEA endures
I wrote about it for Sunday Times Style... plus below my 5 best buys!
I wrote about my love of IKEA for the Sunday Times Style magazine (published 2 February) in celebration of the brand’s forthcoming Spring opening of its second UK City Centre outlet right in the heart of London on Oxford Street.
It begins like this… I have many a fond memory of sitting in the carpark at my nearest out-of-town IKEA. Here, I could discuss matters of great import (usually my current relationship), cheerfully agreeing that more storage was the salve for any woe. Plus, bonus, all chats could be concluded with meatballs (1 billion are sold every year).
As it says on the brand’s website, with no hint of irony, “Imagine a place, where you can escape for a day. Tickets are free to everyone, and include all the attractions.” Indeed, you can eat breakfast, lunch and dinner at IKEA, then take a stroll through the carefully-curated maze of the market halls and realise all your hitherto unknown desires. How have I survived until now, you will wonder, without a matching set of bamboo coasters, three nesting colanders and a perky Peace Lily (plus planter)?!
And this is the secret to IKEA’s enduring, if not cult, appeal. It was one of the first brands to truly understand that it’s never just about the merch; it’s the superior lifestyle we imagine for ourselves as enabled by those products that counts.
Read the rest online here. Requires ST subscription, but at the time of writing it’s doing a flash sale of 3 months for just £1!
Otherwise, here’s some fun facts and intel I found out during my research, that I didn't have room for within the word count of the published piece…
In 2021, a snowstorm left about 25 IKEA workers and six customers stranded overnight in the Aalborg store in Denmark. The solution? They ate hot cinnamon buns, drank beer, then tucked up for the night in the showroom’s beds. In the morning, linens were changed, and the store opened promptly at 10am as if nothing had happened. Since then, an in-store sleepover has become the experiential marketing event du jour, arguably inspired by this impromptu overnighter!
One of the first sleepover events in the UK was held in the Lakeside branch in 2011. The reality TV star,Sam Faiers, from The Only Way is Essex, read the lucky lie-ins a bedtime story.
In June 1960, only coffee and cold dishes were offered in IKEA stores. By the end of the year, the IKEA restaurant kitchen was fully equipped, including a microwave oven – a novelty at the time. Everything from hot snacks such as hamburgers to á la carte dishes were served. The idea comes from something IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad observed: “people left the store at lunchtime to eat in one of the restaurants or street kitchens in Älmhult. This interrupted the whole buying process”. He realised that hungry customers buy less. “Or as we often say, it’s tough to do business on an empty stomach.”
The last printed edition of the IKEA catalogue was released in 2021.
There are some wonderful archive videos about the history of the brand in the IKEA Museum section of its website.
IKEA sell cellular blinds inspired by bees! The honeycomb wax they create to be exact, led to blinds specially designed to provide an extra layer of insulation and prevent draughts As it puts it, “Cellular, and honeycomb blinds combine elegance and practicality. With cut-to-size and no-drill options, they fit seamlessly into any space. Choose from blackout, light dimming, or sheer fabrics, and enjoy year-round comfort with their energy-efficient design.”
There’s a whole section on its website with quick tips on living sustainably too.
Involvement in philanthropic causes at IKEA can be traced back to the 1950s, when Ingvar Kamprad’s mother Berta fell ill with cancer, and Ingvar started a fund for cancer research. Later on, more funds and foundations were set up for everything from good design and children’s rights, to the climate and well-being for the elderly. What all these things have in common is a vision to create a better everyday life for the many people.
During the 2000s, interest in greater social responsibility increased in the private sector, and an increasing number of major corporations started up departments for Corporate Social Responsibility, or CSR. More and more latched onto the trend, happily talking about their efforts in promotional videos and press releases. But for a long time, IKEA kept a low profile, even though it had started before many other companies.
The annual IKEA soft toy drawing competition draws tens of thousands of entries from around the world. A handful of drawings are picked to be made into toys for a limited-edition collection. The full price of each toy sold is donated to projects for children’s rights
These are just some of the reasons why I love IKEA!
