Romanian IKEA: 11M products worth over RON 400M sold, 10.8% increase compared to previous “catalog” year

Cristina Blanaru Business, CSR

Romanian IKEA ended 2012 Ikea catalog year (September 1st 2011 – August 31st 2012) with an increase of 10.8% compared to previous year. The store was visited by over 3M people that went home with 11M products worth over RON 400M (close to Euro 100M).

From the total sold products, 56% were furniture objects and 44% – accesories and decorations. When it came of furniture, Romanians preferred during the previous year furniture for kitchen, while this year the hit were the PAX clothes closets (72,172 pieces sold). Among the accessories and decoration, the kitchenware (pans, pots, jars and different instruments) from IKEA 365+ range sold 226,532 pieces.

When it comes of personnel, IKEA store had, during the catalog year 2012, 441 employees, with more women than men (54% to 46%) and 354 permanent employees, 72% of them working at IKEA for over 3 years.

We are closing 2012 with good results, a success that is due both to our dedicated and passioned colleagues, but also to a nice and inspirational theme that IKEA 2012 catalog presented to the public. Small spaces, as this was the theme, answered directly to Romanians needs and desires. IKEA store came up with new and useful proposals in term of interior design, some of them unconventional, in order to allow everyone to win space, no matter how big their home is. To give live to this theme, we also launched a contest to find the smallest spaces in Bucharest and its surroundings. From the total of 1,859 entries, there were awarded the smallest 3 out of all presented kitchens, bathrooms, living rooms, one room apartments and students’ residences, that IKEA team remade completely.

We are also closing the catalog year with a bigger number of visitors in the store and also on our website: 7M people found inspiration for their homes. Out of them, 4M visited the website www.ikea.ro , 50% more than during the previous year

Mihaela Muresan

Marketing Manager IKEA Romania.

IKEA also involved in community during the catalog year that passed, launching IKEA promise towards Community. Also, it chose and supports SOS Satele Copiilor through a donation of Euro 30,000 to initiate development programs for 350 children. Also, it was the 2nd year when IKEA Bucharest joined the international campaign of toys, with IKEA Foundation donating Euro 1 for each toy or kid menu aquired in its stores; the money went to kids education. Bucharest IKEA donated Euro 56,405 out of the total donations made by IKEA Foundation to Save the Children and UNICEF. IKEA also continued its actions to collect batteries and used light bulbs (initiated in 2010). All 3 CSR programs will also continue during IKEA catalog year 2013.