Has the U.S. market been weaker than the European markets lately?
The sales decline here [in the U.S.] has been stronger than in most European countries, but the downward trend in Europe is worsening. What we are seeing here is coming to Europe as well. It will last at least 12 months. It will get worse before it gets better. A lot of jobs are going to be lost in the next few months. People are scared and that will keep them from shopping. We haven’t reached the worst yet. What are your goals for Ikea over the next five to ten years? We will probably increase our presence in developing countries. For these past 10 years our focus has been on existing markets. We’ve entered only two new markets in 10 years time: Portugal and Japan. That’s very little compared to our earlier history. That will change quite a lot over the next 10 years. We’ll see seven or eight new markets being opened up in that time frame, 90% in developing countries. I hope India will be on the map, and on this continent maybe Mexico. We also have a goal to have 100% renewable energy
