Think you know IKEA? Think again. This time, we’re putting food under the microscope. Numbers, names, successes, and failures – we’re lifting the lid on our food products. In bitesize chunks, naturally.
Plants on a roll
Our plant-based foods are going from strength to strength, with more and more customers choosing them over the meat-based versions. Last fiscal year, for example, 19% of the hot dog and ball families we sold were plant-based – that’s over 20 million plant and veggie hot dogs, and 13+ million portions of plant balls. As their name HUVUDROLL (Swedish for “lead role”) would suggest, that’s a lot of plant balls exuding some serious main character energy.
Following their stomach
It’s no secret that for many of our customers, a visit to IKEA often goes hand in hand with a bite to eat. But in some countries, food plays a more pivotal role than others. In 14 Ingka markets, for example, the take-up rate in food is more than 100% – meaning that customers are more likely to buy food products whenever they visit us. When it comes to order size, people in Slovakia sit proudly at the top table. Last fiscal year, they averaged 5.6 items per ticket for food – that’s nearly 6 food items per transaction.
Food for the soul
At IKEA, how we name our products is the stuff of legend: seemingly random Swedish words governed by an intricate set of rules that show a method behind the madness. Food is no exception, of course, and right now, it’s musical instruments setting the tone of our packaged food products. Would you prefer a little bell oat biscuit (BJÄLLRA) or potato chips in unison (ENSTÄMMIG), with your cup of flute tea (FLÖJT)? Or perhaps a marching tune shredded potato pancake (GÅNGLÅT), with lullaby orange and elderflower spread (VAGGSÅNG) on top? Music is food for the soul, so they say.
DIY food
It’s not only furniture we put in our flatpacks. We’ve also been known to box up animals – moose and bunnies, to be exact. Don’t worry though, they aren’t the real thing. Made of Rainforest Alliance-certified milk chocolate, the three-part BELÖNING moose and VÅRKÄNSLA Easter bunny need to be assembled – just like our traditional flatpack products. It’s a bona fide invitation to play with your food. And when you’re done building, we bet you’ll enjoy eating it too.
A foul-smelling fiasco
Food waste might be a talking point these days, but over 30 years ago IKEA was already trying to help the many people to do more with their used banana peels and coffee grounds. Launched in 1994, the RENO series included a light wood indoor sofa with under-seat boxes for composting organic material. A brilliant idea in theory, but also a stinky one – literally. Thankfully, our wide range of waste sorting products are great at keeping smells in nowadays. But we needed a rotten idea like RENO to get there.
Anything else you’d like to know?
At IKEA, we have so many stories to tell. But many of them stay right here, within IKEA. That’s where our “Who knew?” series comes in. Is there anything you’ve always wondered about IKEA but never had the chance to ask? Contact us at [email protected] and we’ll get digging.
Media enquiries
For further information, journalists and media professionals can contact us at [email protected] or by calling +46 70 993 6376.
