Where does IKEA source its furniture from?
Actually, all of the company’s designs are inhouse. It started designing its furniture in 1955 and the first IKEA ‘store’ opened in the same city in 1958. From Sweden to 30 countries is a pretty big deal. Yes, but it took time. The first IKEA store outside Sweden opened in Oslo, Norway, in 1963; outside Scandinavia, in Spreitenbach, Switzerland 10 years later; the latest opened in Thessaloniki, Greece, in 2001. But four years before that, at the height of the dotcom boom, they went where they didn’t need a store — online. What’s so special about IKEA products? For one, they save space. Two, they are cheap — largely due to the fact that they do away with unnecessary detail. For example, as they say, will an expensive finish on the back of a shelf or under a table-top improve the function? You get the idea. Also, most IKEA products are DIY types –you buy it, you take it home, you put it together. Saves on having someone cart a dresser home. Also saves on having to buy a truck to lug i
