The nature and focus of these partnerships vary between franchisees and markets. Efforts are underway to map these partnerships, integrate social entrepreneurship more clearly in the IKEA concept, and develop tools to facilitate franchisees to engage with social enterprises in local markets.
By 2025 IKEA plans to develop products or services with social businesses in thirty of their markets.
Local partnerships with IKEA stores around the world
We encourage IKEA stores all over the world to establish partnerships with local social entrepreneurs. The result is customised products and services that aren’t part of the ordinary IKEA offer and that add value to the customer.
For example, if you’re in the IKEA Bucharest restaurant, chances are the pastry and bread are baked by trainees and employees at Concordia. Concordia is a Romanian social business supporting disadvantaged children, youth, and families by offering professional training and jobs.
In the Swedish IKEA Malmö store, customers can buy fabric and get it made to measure at the Yalla trappan studio, located at the entrance. Yalla trappan is a social enterprise that creates jobs for women far from the labour market.
By partnering up with local social entrepreneurs, providing services and products for IKEA stores, we hope to inspire IKEA co-workers all over the world to invest even more in our joint vision of creating a better everyday life for as many people as possible.
In image: Neire Kerimovska, a social entrepreneurs from Yallatrappan, Sweden.