"Affordable solutions for better living", this is the slogan of Ikea.
Founded in 1943 in Sweden, IKEA is now the world's largest furniture manufacturer. IKEA is a privately-held, international home products retailer that sells flat pack furniture, accessories, and bathroom and kitchen items in their retail stores around the world. The company also pioneered flat-pack design furniture at affordable prices in the world.
This success results from the identity of the brand :
Much of IKEA's furniture is designed to be assembled by the consumer rather than being sold pre-assembled. This involves two advantages : first, it permits an important cost reduction, which was repercuted on the sale prices. Then, the flat-pack distribution method allowed an easier transport from the store to a customer's home .
Finally, IKEA provides furnitures for a very large public : from a large to a smaller house, for a design and useful decoration, for people from 20 to 50 years old who can have the catalog for free!
Definitively, IKEA succeeded in both giving the opportunity for bying products as a reasonable price and allowing people from middle class to have access to design furnitures. Kamprad (the fondator of the firm), refers to the concept as "democratic design," meaning that the company applies an integrated approach to manufacturing and design (and also environmental design) : "The intended result is flexible, adaptable home furnishings, scalable both to smaller homes and dwellings as well as large houses".
