NETHERLANDS - Ingka Group, the largest Ikea retailer, will accelerate expansion by investing more than EUR 3 billion in new and existing stores by the end of next year to become more accessible for customers – whenever and wherever they want to interact with Ikea.

Life at home has never been more important and the new investment reflects the ongoing retail transformation and the company’s unchanged determination to get closer to where customers are, while navigating global disruptions caused by the war in Ukraine and the pandemic. As online shopping continues to increase rapidly, physical Ikea stores remain an essential part of the retailer’s business model – since September last year, 16 new Ikea touchpoints, large and small, have already opened and more are planned.

The company will focus its expansion investments in new physical stores, as well as in revamping existing ones for a more immersive Ikea experience and to further support the increasing demand for home deliveries. Recently the Ikea store in Kuopio, Finland, was rebuilt to also fulfill customer online orders, allowing the customers around the country to get their orders in half the time and with 40% reduced cost of delivery for pick-up parcels.

“Our stores remain one of our biggest strengths and we will continue to transform them to meet the needs of our customers for generations to come. We see many of our stores playing a dual role, giving our customers the best of both physical and online retailing and the investment will support not only an inspiring in-store Ikea experience but also a faster and more affordable shipping of online orders directly from our stores,” says Tolga Öncü, Retail Operations Manager, Ingka Group.