IKEA

IKEA is a Swedish home furnishings retailer. It has 202 stores in 32 countries, most of them in Europe, the rest in the United States, Canada, Asia and Australia. More than 20 are scheduled to open during 2005. IKEA is one of the few store chains to have locations in Israel as well as in other nations in the Middle East.

Products

IKEA furniture is well known for its modern (often unusual) design. Also, because much of it is self-assembly furniture (also known as "flat-pack"), it is designed to be assembled by the consumer rather than being sold pre-assembled. IKEA claims this permits them to reduce costs and use of packaging by not shipping air—the volume of a bookcase, for example, is considerably less if it is shipped unassembled rather than assembled.

Related Topics:
Design - Self-assembly furniture - Shipping - Air - Volume

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IKEA also claims to have pioneered the use of more sustainable approaches to mass consumer culture. Its founder calls it "democratic design," meaning that the company applies an integrated approach to manufacturing and design (see also environmental design). Responding to the explosion of human population—and material expectations—in the 20th century, the company has mastered economies of scale, capturing material streams and creating manufacturing processes that hold costs and resource use down, such as the extensive use of particle board. The intended result is flexible, adaptable home furnishings, scaleable both to larger homes and smaller dwellings.

Related Topics:
Consumer culture - Manufacturing - Design - Environmental design - 20th century - Economies of scale - Particle board

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IKEA has also expanded their product base to include flat-pack houses, in an effort to cut prices involved in a first-time buyer's home. The product, named BoKlok was launched in Sweden in 1996 in a joint venture with Skanska. Now working in the Nordic countries and in UK, sites confirmed in England include London, Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool. http://shopping.guardian.co.uk/household/story/0,1587,1403793,00.html

Related Topics:
1996 - Skanska - England - Manchester - Leeds - Liverpool

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