With online shopping gaining more and more weight, Ikea wants to ensure that its customers are satisfied whether they purchase its products in stores or from home. In order not to be left behind and adapt to the new times, the Swedish multinational has chosen Catalonia as a test bed to study new management models for its establishments, which better adjust to the needs of the new consumer.
During the next six years, Ikea's centers in Catalonia will have a strengthened position within the company's structure, which will allow them to have greater power and autonomy in decision-making. The stores in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Badalona, and Sabadell will thus become an experimental market, where new business forms will be tested, with the aim of consolidating the omnichannel environment. This new status will be complemented by ten openings between now and 2027.
The commitment to Catalonia has also been accompanied by the renewal of its management team. Valerio Valenti will be in charge of leading this new stage as head of the Ikea Market area in Catalonia, reporting to the CEO of Ikea in Spain, Nurettin Acar. He will be accompanied by Kevin Johnson, appointed Director of Market Penetration for Ikea in Catalonia, who will have to reach more customers with new approaches. Likewise, the three stores it has in the autonomous community have changed directors and will now be led by Franca Quaglia (Badalona), Alexander Hansson (L'Hospitalet), and Patrick Leussink (Sabadell).