The world is changing, faster than ever before, and so are people’s needs and dreams. With the aim of creating a better everyday life for the many, Al-Futtaim IKEA announces the launch of its new collections, room setups and home furnishing solutions. This year’s offering focuses on multifunctional products that can help consumers achieve the right balance between the spaces they live in and overall wellbeing therefore making their home a space that changes with them.

Homes are spaces that do it all. Al-Futtaim IKEA believes that better products enable better homes. As work and personal lives become more flexible, designing homes to mirror the flexibility and functionality has become increasingly important. Therefore, Al-Futtaim IKEA undertook an independent research study of more than 1600 people in the UAE to further understand consumer behavior when it comes to the space they live in, and if it satisfies their needs and wants with the right amount of rest.

Increasing need for multifunctional products and solutions

Based on the research, 80 percent of the respondents agree that their home is a multifunctional space. However, over half of the respondents do not own furniture that will help satisfy their diverse needs. Whilst the Living Room remains the favourite room in the home, one third of the respondents would like to establish a more multifunctional, creative and organized space with appropriate storage solutions. Over 80 percent of the respondents also agreed that their home atmosphere influences their mood, solidifying the relation between multifunctional homes and personal wellbeing.

Affordability remains priority

Al-Futtaim IKEA believes that creating a functional home shouldn’t feel like a luxury for anyone. Affordability is key to the business idea, which is built into every product and service to ensure that many people can enjoy a better life at home. Despite rising inflation over the years impacting transportation and delivery costs, the brand remains committed to creating a better everyday life for the many people and have not passed these costs on to customers. With no compromise on quality, the prices of over 40% products in UAE remain unchanged.

Al-Futtaim IKEA expands to reach more of the many people

Reaching more and more of the many people requires Al-Futtaim IKEA to become more accessible, affordable and sustainable and to enter markets in new and optimized ways. As a part of its expansion plan and with the aim of providing a better shopping experience and more products and solutions, the IKEA store in the Abu Dhabi City Center is expanding to a two-floor store. The collection point in Al Ain will also be upgraded to a four times bigger store.

Commenting on the launch, Vinod Jayan, managing director of Al-Futtaim IKEA, UAE, Qatar, Egypt and Oman said: “As a brand that believes in creating a better everyday life for the many people, it is important that we constantly improve the way we do things. Everyone deserves a space that can be used to create a better everyday life no matter what it is being used for. We have a vision, a commitment and a task to empower everyone to create the home they desire at affordable prices. Our latest collections are all rooted in the idea that a better home is a home that is multifunctional. Our role is to encourage people and share our know-how, which will enable customers to create their better home in their own way.”

Sustainability is a long-term commitment for Al-Futtaim IKEA

By marrying Al-Futtaim IKEA’s global sustainability goals with the goals of the UAE, the brand has taken various steps to ensure that it is contributing to the wider ambitions. One of the most recent initiatives is the opening of the Sustainable Shop in Al-Futtaim IKEA’s store in Festival Plaza being the first in the middle east region. The store is a 140sqm space dedicated to displaying more than 330 items to drive sustainability awareness and sales.

With the discontinuation of all single-use plastic bags by the UAE government, Al-Futtaim IKEA is also encouraging customers to buy the IKEA FRAKTA bag at check-out therefore supporting the initiative and contributing to the overall sustainability agenda.

‘Since the launch of the Sustainability Shop in February this year, we have witnessed an increase in sales on these specific products also contributing to the overall store sales. We will be participating at the upcoming 27th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 27) to the UNFCCC taking place in Egypt later this year and are committed to rolling out the Sustainability Shop in all our four markets, UAE, Oman, Qatar and Egypt by then’, he added.