For the first time, the majority of IKEA stores across the globe are coming together to invite customers to a Swedish långbord, a table that emphasizes togetherness, informality, and hospitality. Some events will begin September 13, with stores welcoming customers to join the experience.
“Food is more than fuel. It is a universal language of love, heritage, and belonging. Yet, in modern life, shared meals are becoming rarer. Loneliness, busy lifestyles, and limited kitchen functionality have made cooking and eating more difficult for many. We believe it is time to bring people back together around food,” said Lorena Lourido Gomez, Global Food Manager at IKEA Retail (Ingka Group).
These worldwide events kicks off IKEA’s Cooking & Eating Year, a movement to reignite the simple joy of making food and sharing meals together. At least 14 markets* will host a långbord, with over 200 IKEA stores worldwide participating in this unique dining experience. Additionally, seven European markets will celebrate Apron Day with festive in-store activations for customers. The remaining participating markets** will focus on other strong cooking and eating experiences, ensuring a rich and diverse celebration across the globe.
Tolga Öncu, Ingka Retail Manager (COO) at IKEA Retail (Ingka Group)
“With over 80 years of expertise in life at home, IKEA is uniquely positioned to make cooking easier, more affordable, and more sustainable for the many people, regardless of budget, space, or lifestyle. For a while we have been seeing an increased interest from customers to eat healthier and cook more at home. In just the past three years, our cooking business has grown by 16% and reached a 5% global market share. We want to build on this momentum by leveraging our home furnishing knowledge and expanding our offer to bring the joy of cooking to even more customers in this financial year, starting September 1.”
Global celebrations
Across the world, hundreds of thousands of people will be welcomed to the långbord and enjoy special offers, with each country celebrating in its own way. Rooted in Swedish tradition, the långbord is a long communal table where everyone is welcome. By bringing it to stores, IKEA highlights meaningful moments with most långbords set in IKEA restaurants, the heart of food experience.
”Every year, millions of customers visit our restaurants for tasty, affordable meals, and this September we are proud to extend that invitation even further. The långbord is more than just a table. Together, we want to celebrate the connections and joy that sharing food brings to our lives. We can’t wait to welcome customers into our stores and restaurants around the world to celebrate Cooking & Eating Year movement,“ added Lorena Lourido Gomez. Each activation will feature unique customer offers, from free breakfasts for IKEA Family members, family-friendly activities, cooking-themed events, to special promotions on food and the Cooking & Eating range.
A few examples:
- Sweden: 20 IKEA stores will serve free breakfast for the first 500 IKEA Family members at the långbord. Aim to gather 10,000 people in a single morning.
- France: Nearly all stores will host långbord gatherings, while Paris will feature a Cooking Session Festival with live chefs, DJs, and IKEA-designed kitchens, inviting the public to cook and eat together in a festive atmosphere.
- Canada: September 13, all IKEA restaurants in stores (except small formats) will offer $1 traditional breakfast for IKEA Family members with proceeds donated to Breakfast Clubs of Canada, showing that every shared meal can also support communities.
- Germany: All IKEA stores will offer a free breakfast to the first 150 IKEA Family members in each store. Throughout the day, every customer arriving in a kitchen apron will receive a €10 voucher, alongside several commercial activities celebrating the joy of cooking and eating together.
Aprons On: A Festive September across seven European markets
Besides IKEA in Germany, Spain, Italy, Austria, Czechia, Hungary, and Slovakia will also spotlight Apron Day with special in-store activations designed to delight customers. From food tastings and live music to exclusive giveaways and family-friendly activities, the apron becomes a symbol of celebration. On September 20, all IKEA stores in Spain will reward IKEA Family members with a free pan if they arrive wearing an apron. In addition, there will be workshops on table setting and live showcooking sessions for IKEA Family members and children, accompanied by live music and tastings from the IKEA Food range. At the IKEA Diagonal and IKEA Goya urban stores, a comedian will be performing while handing out samples from the IKEA Food range. In Italy, on September 13, anyone wearing a kitchen apron will be treated to a free lunch, along with a variety of fun and engaging activities for both children and adults, making it a perfect day out for the whole family. Meanwhile, Czechia, Hungary, and Slovakia will reward the first 500 apron-wearing IKEA Family members with special coupons and exclusive offers.
The långbord celebrations are only the beginning
During this financial year (September 1, 2025 – August 31, 2026) IKEA will introduce more than 200 new cooking and eating products – from smart kitchen storage to new dining tables. The company will also expand healthy and sustainable food choices, including falafel balls and fish balls alongside the iconic IKEA meatballs.
*Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden. Activities for customers in stores and restaurants might be activated at different times in different markets. The offer for customers may vary by market. For more details, please contact the IKEA press office in your market.
**USA, Poland, Serbia, Romania, Croatia, Slovenia, Finland, Portugal will focus on different food, cooking & eating activation. While China will continue to focus on the theme of complete sleep, the långbord concept will be integrated as one of the elements in customer events to celebrate connection and togetherness.
About Ingka Group
With IKEA retail operations in 31 markets, Ingka Group is the largest IKEA retailer and represents about 90% of IKEA retail sales. It is a strategic partner to develop and innovate the IKEA business and help define common IKEA strategies. Ingka Group owns and operates IKEA sales channels under franchise agreements with Inter IKEA Systems B.V. It has three business areas: IKEA Retail, Ingka Investments and Ingka Centres. Read more on www.Ingka.com
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