The Swedish chain Ikea will test until the end of the year its new platform for selling second-hand furniture between individuals in Madrid and Oslo, which will be called Ikea Preowned.
This is what he announced Jesper Brodin, CEO of Ingka, the main operator of Ikea storesto the British newspaper Financial Time.
“It's been a dream we've wanted to realize for a long time,” said Brodin, who added that “at Ikea, we're at a point where we can do more advanced and bigger things. There's incredible confidence that the company is going to move toward digital.”
After the tests in Spain and SwedenThe group's goal is deploy this platform worldwide compete with giants like eBay, Craigslist and Gumtree.
Until now, Ikea had a small offer in which it bought second-hand furniture from its customers and resold it in its store, but the Swedish group's goal is a more ambitious platform with which it seeks to fully penetrate the market. private transactions case.
Used Ikea
The customer can include their product, with their own photographs and a sale price, while Ikea's database, based on artificial intelligenceprovides its own promotional images and measures.
The buyer collects the furniture directly from the seller, who has the option of receive cash or an Ikea voucher with a 15% bonus.
Early deals at Ikea Preowned include big items like sofas for up to €600 and wardrobes for €450, as well as smaller items, like a toilet paper holder, for €4.
Spain
Ikea earned 148 million euros in Spain in the last financial year 2023, 68% more than in the financial year 2022.
The group recently opened new stores in Torrejn, Legans and La Vaguada (Community of Madrid) and Barcelona (on Diagonal and Gloris) and reached new cities, such as Almerawith a new store, and Albacete And Santanderwhere you have installed planning points.
The Swedish company had a workforce of 10,016 employees in our country at the beginning of 2024, and their intention was to hire 1,500 additional people by 2025an expansion project that will involve a investment of 300 million of euros.
In an interview with EXPANSIN, Juvencio MaeztuGlobal Vice President of Ingka Groupthe world's largest Ikea franchisee, stressed that Spain has established itself as one of the most important markets for Ikea.
Maetze recalled that Spain was important not only in terms of business volume, but also that it was leading in brand positioning and leading several global projectsas in digitizationwith the digital center installed in Madrid.