The Swedish IKEA , which is about to open its store in Mexico City, has already started sales on Monday in its online store, where you can see the products and prices providing.
“Welcome to IKEA Mexico. We are committed to the well-being of our customers, service providers and employees at the current juncture. Read about our preventive measures against COVID-19 ”, Announces the signature on its welcome website.
The company announced its arrival in Mexico last year; The first physical store at IKEA was planned to open this month; However, delays in the construction sector due to the COVID-19 pandemic have postponed this plan.
It was in June last year, when the Swedish furniture brand of minimalist design announced the construction of its first distribution center in the country, which will serve the e-commerce and store, which would open in the fall of 2020.
The new distribution center, of more than 15 thousand square meters, is located in the north of the State of Mexico and will serve the first store in Mexico City, in addition to online sales and home delivery.
Faced with the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic in countries in Europe and Asia, causing the suspension of operations in various sectors of those nations, the Swedish furniture company IKEA is lagging behind in the products it imports from these markets for the opening of its first store in Mexico.
Shipping
IKEA Mexico only ships products to Mexico City and State for 79 pesos, in packages of less than 24 kg and dimensions of 1.75 m in length, 70 cm wide, maximum height of 43.5 cm and maximum diameter of 40 cm per item, 3 to 5 calendar days from the date of order.
Physical store
The store will be located in the Oceania region of Mexico City, where it is estimated that between 300 and 350 direct jobs will be generated in the communities. Its physical store will have 23 thousand square meters and will have the capacity to store 7,500 products. In addition, at the top will have a Swedish restaurant that can accommodate up to 665 people.
IKEA history
KEA is a global company known for its ready-to-assemble DIY furniture. IKEA was the product of the diligence, perseverance and innovation of its Swedish founder Ingvar Kamprad. He was born on March 30, 1926, even when he was still young, Kamprad knew that his world was that of business.
In 1943, when Kamprad was 17, his father gave him money as a reward for doing well in school. He used the money to found IKEA – the name came from the initials of his name I (ngvar) K (amprad), and the initials of the places where he grew up: E (lmtaryd) and A (gunnaryd).
During the early years of IKEA, Kamprad started selling and delivering his goods using milk trucks. In 1947, he started to diversify his business by adding furniture from local manufacturers. Soon, IKEA furniture spread its popularity. However, IKEA ended up facing a boycott by other manufacturers because of the very low price of the furniture, forcing Kamprad to design the furniture in its own warehouses.
Kamprad began to present revolutionary furniture ready to assemble, also known as “flat pack” furniture. Thus, IKEA’s unique concept of simple, practical and affordable “do-it-yourself” furniture was born, which can be purchased in “flat packaging”. Despite being affordable and simple to build, these flat-pack furniture items did not sacrifice quality and style – and many people thought that IKEA items signaled the advent of “modernist” furniture.
IKEA started to expand outside Sweden. In the 1960s, the company started opening stores in other Scandinavian countries, such as Norway and Denmark. In the 1970s, IKEA began to expand outside Scandinavia, opening its first stores in Germany and Switzerland and, eventually, in other European countries.
In 1974, IKEA expanded its market beyond continental Europe. In 1974, he opened his first Asian store in Japan and, the following year, opened his first Australian store near Sydney and his first North American branch in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada.
In the 1980s, it expanded further to other countries, such as the United Kingdom, Italy, France, Spain, Belgium and the United States. When IKEA opened its first branch in Shanghai, more than 80,000 customers were present. In 2010, the company opened its first branch in Latin America in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
Germany remains IKEA’s biggest market with 50 stores to date, while the US comes in second with 44 stores to date. The largest IKEA store is currently in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi, South Korea, with its floor space measuring 59,000 square miles (or 640,000 square feet).
IKEA is physically present in more than 300 locations in 38 countries. Its headquarters are now located in Delft, Netherlands. Kamprad never borrowed money or issued shares.
Kamprad had already left the board in 2013, and his youngest son took over as chairman of the company. Despite his resignation and his advanced age, Kamprad still traveled extensively around the world to visit IKEA branches. Kamprad was one of the richest people on the planet – a March 2010 issue of Forbes ranked him 11th on its list of the richest people in the world. Despite his enviable wealth, Kamprad still lived simply and frugally – he still stayed in the cheap hotels he could find and still drove his old Volvo.
Kamprad passed away peacefully at his home in Småland, Sweden on January 27, 2018. He was 91 years old.
The Success Story of IKEA and Its Founder Ingvar Kamprad