Strategy in Industrial Networks: Experiences from IKEA

摘要

IKEA was founded over 60 years ago in Southern Sweden. It has since grown to become the world's largest furniture retailer; in 2006, it had sales of over Euro 17 billion, as well as 12,000 product items and 104,000 employees. The company's focus has consistently been on marketing products at extremely low prices. Its first purchases in the 1950s were made from producers' unsold stocks, in order to keep costs low. However, large sales success soon allowed IKEA to start ordering models of its own design from local manufacturers. Next, IKEA introduced innovations, such as flat packs, which reduced production and transport costs, and the "showroom-warehouse" concept, which reduced retailing costs.