Belarus-based furnishings outfit Swed Home has began changing Swedish large IKEA in Russia. This comes 13 months after the latter closed its 17 shops within the nation, in solidarity with a whole lot of different firms which have exited Russia as a result of its invasion of Ukraine. IKEA, world’s largest furnishings model, additionally wound down operations in Belarus.
In Moscow, Swed Home not too long ago opened a retailer to promote furnishings and different items that imitate IKEA’s. Basic director Mamedali Kasymov has been fast to remind clients that “we aren’t IKEA,” although as much as 20% of the retailer’s inventory is IKEA merchandise. Whereas “we goal to be like IKEA, now we have our personal manufacturers, our personal items,” Kasymov added in a Reuters interview. “Sure, now we have IKEA objects as effectively.”
His assertion has left some clients questioning concerning the authenticity of the IKEA-branded furnishings the copycat agency is promoting. “No person prohibited us from doing this,” Kasymov stated.
Customers are also questioning concerning the blue-and-yellow branding utilized by Swed Home. Comparable shades have appeared in the IKEA emblem for years; in addition they occur to be the colours of the Ukrainian nationwide flag.
IKEA would nonetheless wish to return to doing enterprise in Russia
Regardless of the shop’s comparatively small showroom, some buyers have welcomed its arrival after greater than a yr with out entry to IKEA merchandise. “Good starting of the return of the issues we miss,” one buyer instructed Reuters. “We hope that there can be extra objects on sale.”
Swed Home plans to begin with 5 shops in Moscow earlier than increasing to different Russian cities subsequent yr.
Final June, IKEA proprietor Ingka Holding stated it hopes to renew enterprise in Russia someday sooner or later. In August, a supply near IKEA instructed Russian information company TASS that the furnishings maker plans to return to Russia “inside a yr to 2,” amid rising strain to promote its three factories to native homeowners. IKEA maintains that “it isn’t going to promote its enterprise in Russia.”
In 2021, Russia accounted for 4%, or $1.8 billion, of IKEA’s earnings from retail gross sales, making the nation its Tenth-biggest market within the 31 nations the place it operated that yr.