Furniture
The Ikea store in Eindhoven is testing the consequences of not letting people pay in cash any more. If successful, the test may be expanded to other Dutch stores too.
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Steinhoff, the South-African owner of chains like Conforama and Poundland, has achieved a decent turnover growth in the first nine months of its financial year. Still, billions of euros worth in damage claims keep the company in trouble.
Ikea is starting a lease in a shopping centre for the first time, in the Indian city of Mumbai. Even for the Swedes, the 'big box' era seems to end as the focus shifts to getting close to city centre residents.
Ikea has turned its latest catalogue into an audio-book and put it on Spotify. The goal of that campaign is to draw attention to the digital version of the catalogue.
British carpet store chain Carpetright has moved 45 million euros worth of debt from banks to its major shareholder Meditor.
Ikea wants to invest heavily in its Chinese store network. The fact that many Chinese like to visit the stores to take a nap, is alright for the Swedes.
Online furniture discounter Vente-Unique saw its turnover rise by 10% in the past quarter. The 'flash sales' company especially grew beyond its domestic market of France.
A global first for the Netherlands: the Ikea store in Groningen is the first where the chain totally redesigns its lay-out and arranges items by price. The store also aims at selling 'full experiences', rather than single pieces of furniture.
DIY giant Kingfisher will be getting a new CEO next autumn: Thierry Garnier. The Frenchman will be succeeding Véronique Laury, who stepped down this spring.
South African holding Steinhoff International demands at least 53 million euros from its former CEO Markus Jooste. The group believes he personally shares responsibility for the accounting scandal that nearly destroyed Steinhoff.
Due to continuous problems with Matratzen Concord, Dutch bed selling chain Beter Bed is looking into a sale of its German branch.
French Maisons du Monde has announced some ambitious plans: by 2024, the furniture and decoration chain intends to double its turnover, reaching two billion euros.
Ikea has launced an app with which customers can place products in their own house using augmented reality, then buy the items online. This means customers do not need to go to suburban physical stores as often, reducing the stress on environment and mobility.
Danish home decoration store chain Jysk has announced some ambitious targets during the celebrations of its fortieth anniversary. The chain wants to more than double its number of stores to 5,000 and start a worldwide expansion.
Ikea is looking to sell its products in China through existing sales platforms. Conversely, the chain will be developing its own digital marketplace for Europe.
Ikea has commissioned the design of a fully white and transparent version of its logo, in order to better meet the requirements of online communication and e-commerce. That does not mean the famous yellow and blue logo is dead and buried, however.
