IKEA boosted by strong full year sales growth
Home furnishings retailer IKEA saw its UK total sales increase by 8% to £2.120 billion in the year to 31 August.
The company said investment in digitalisation helped to drive a 27% uplift in online sales and 224 million website visits. Work has included the continued development of a virtual reality app, which helps customers to visualise what IKEA furniture will look like in their homes, and an IKEA store app.
IKEA has also made improvements to its distribution and fulfilment network by opening two new customer delivery centres in London as it works towards 24-hour delivery in the capital and two-day delivery across the rest of the UK by the end of the year.
In addition, the retailer has opened a new large format store in Greenwich and two planning studio stores in London.
Peter Jelkeby, IKEA country retail manager for UK and Ireland, said: “Despite a challenging retail environment, IKEA has seen another year of strong sales growth as we continue the transformation of our business. We know that people’s shopping habits and expectations are changing, so continued investments in our shopping experience, our people and in adapting our operations to ensure we become a fully circular business by 2030, will be vital to secure the success of our business in the future.”
