The company said in a statement on Tuesday that online sales surged 45% over the 12 months to August, driven by 4 billion visits to its website. Outdoor furniture was the retailer’s fastest-growing category, with sales of office furniture also performing strongly, a spokesperson told CNN Business.
Life at home has become “more important than ever for people… which has led to a repurposing of the home in many ways,” Ingka Group, which operates 374 Ikea stores, said in a statement.
Sales of household items in the United States were up more than a quarter in the three months to August versus the prior year, according to market research firm NPD Group.
Families “changed kitchens into schools, bedrooms into workplaces, and backyards into amusement parks,” Ikea added, describing 2020 as “a year of homecoming.”
Despite the pandemic and the spike in online sales, Ikea opened 33 new stores during the period, including in Moscow, Seoul, Shanghai and Macau, and it plans to expand into new markets like Mexico and the Philippines.
The company said it will continue to employ a “total market approach,” offering smaller showrooms in city centers, traditional suburban Ikea stores and online fulfillment centers.
Ingka Group said it continues to invest in real estate, such as the Kings Mall in London and the famous Rue de Rivoli in Paris. The franchisee’s online sales surged 60%, accounting for nearly a fifth of total sales, up from 11% in 2019.
— Nathaniel Meyersohn contributed reporting.
