'Italia central for Ikea: almost 200 million invested in two years'

Let's go back to the expansion plan: what does it envisage?

 We now have 20 traditional shops, the classic Ikea 'blue boxes' that represent the complete flagship format, generally located in the suburbs of major cities, with areas between 20 thousand and 50 thousand square metres. In recent years, we have opened a 'small store' in Fiumicino and one is on its way to Cagliari: these are more compact shops, enhanced with immersive fittings and digital tools. Finally, we have 28 Plan and Order Points located in city centres, specialising in the design and planning of domestic and commercial spaces. This is the fastest-growing format in recent years, and we are planning about ten new openings in 2026. On 19 March, Ikea will also open its first traditional store in Sardinia in Elmas, in the province of Cagliari, with 150 employees and an area of 15,500 square metres. We are now present in big cities, but Ikea Italia is more than just big cities. The new portfolio of shops and services that we will be launching will allow us to get closer to medium-sized cities and, above all, to reach more people.

Can you tell us more about these new formats?

Italia will be the pilot country, together with the United Kingdom, the United States and Poland, for the opening of new Local Stores Designed for Everyday Convenience, a new format that starts at 2,000 square metres, suitable for smaller cities and which also allows less investment and a faster time to open. We plan to open two by the end of this year, but then we will go ahead, because I believe that Italia is perfect for this type of shop: if we exclude Milan and Rome, the cities are medium and medium-small. In addition, each territory has its own peculiarities and this format allows for greater flexibility in adapting to the needs of local populations, providing almost tailor-made responses according to needs. There is no single model or size, but we will evaluate them on a case-by-case basis. We have an ambitious goal: to bring Ikea closer to people, wherever they live in Italia, at most 20 minutes' drive from their homes. The entire shop portfolio, including online services, is functional to this goal in a multi-channel logic.

What's new about services?

Our goal is to make Ikea more and more accessible and convenient, and the convenience is not only in the price, but also in a whole range of services we provide to customers, from online sales to consulting, home delivery and financial services. In particular, we are implementing our B2B offer and services, aimed at companies, especially SMEs, that need to design and furnish their spaces. Italia is one of the main markets for this channel, Ikea for Business, given the country's rich entrepreneurial fabric, which is largely made up of small and medium-sized companies. Precisely for this reason we will test a new B2B project in Milan within the year, which we would then like to extend globally. Italia will be the pilot nation for this initiative.

Let's turn to labour relations: there were moments of difficulty with the unions and strikes during the negotiations for the renewal of the integrative contract. Where do we stand?

The dialogue is open and I am confident that we will find an understanding soon. I confirm Ikea's readiness to sign the agreement at any time. We have always sought a dialogue with the union and the contract we are discussing brings an improvement to the conditions of our employees, continuing our strategy of making the brand accessible to the majority of people, even in a historical context where all consumption is significantly influenced by many factors.