What was the Christmas tree campaign?
Customers paid 20 euros for a Christmas tree and received, besides the Christmas tree, a 19 euro voucher to spend at an IKEA store later in January-February. The promotion was open to all customers, not just IKEA Family members.
Why did IKEA Netherlands sell Christmas trees?
In the Netherlands, Christmas is, of course, a tradition that is celebrated at home. And the focus on the Christmas tradition fits in very well with our Swedish background: Christmas is even more important there than it is here. That's why IKEA has had an extensive collection of Christmas items for many years and why we offer our customers a beautiful tree at a very low price.
In which countries does IKEA still sell Christmas trees?
-Subject to the local corona measures- IKEA still sells Christmas trees in Belgium (BE), Great Britain (GB), Ireland (IE), Italy (IT), Czech Republic (CZ), Hungary (HU), Slovakia (SK), France (FR) and Japan (JP).
Why don't you sell the Christmas tree for a reasonable price?
It is evident that this was a customer promotion. Every year, we sell around 70,000 Christmas trees in the Netherlands. This is only a small share of the more than 2.5 million Christmas trees sold annually in the Netherlands. In addition, the annual Christmas tree sale always came on top of the regular operation. With the additional transport and the extra effort of employees and resources, the Christmas tree sale would no longer be profitable on its own.
Will you be offering an alternative to the traditional Christmas tree?
As in previous years, IKEA offers a wide range of Christmas products and inspiration for the winter season. As well as decorations, we also sell different types and sizes of artificial Christmas trees, as we do every year.
You have a lot of inventory challenges. Will the Christmas decorations be in the stores in time?
This year we will once again have a wide range of Christmas products and decorations in our stores. It is true that from time to time regular stock levels vary for some of our products, but we prioritise the products that are most in demand and do our utmost to ensure that they are available in-store and online. We always encourage customers to check the availability of products online before visiting a store or making an online purchase.
What can you tell customers who count on a Christmas tree at IKEA?
We understand that it is unfortunate for customers to no longer be able to get a Christmas tree for 1 euro. We hope that customers will agree with our decision. Besides decoration, customers can still come to us for different types and sizes of artificial Christmas trees.
How does this decision affect your carbon footprint?
We have not calculated that in this decision, but that is also not the reason why we decided to stop. For IKEA, unsustainable consumption is one of the biggest challenges. As a big retailer, we have a responsibility to promote responsible consumption. Offering a Christmas tree for €1 does not fit with this vision. This is why we are discontinuing the annual sale of Christmas trees in the Netherlands.
How can you be sustainable if at the same time you encourage mass consumption, isn't this green washing?
With billions of customers worldwide and millions of customers a year in the Netherlands, IKEA has the opportunity to make a huge impact. Of course, it's still a commercial company and people will always look for ways to find home solutions or make their homes cosier. With our huge customer base, IKEA has the power to influence the way people consume or the type of products they buy. IKEA has an important role, now and in the future, to play not only in providing products that are responsible and sustainable, but also in making our customers aware of sustainable products and a more sustainable life at home. Instead of looking away, IKEA chooses to take responsibility and be a leader in sustainability. In small and big steps, we also take a critical look at our marketing and communications messages.
IKEA is disposable furniture of poor quality and bad for the environment, isn't it?
IKEA creates high-quality and attractive home furnishing solutions for as many people as possible. This means that we offer different price and quality levels within our product groups, which clearly demonstrates that we have an offer for every budget. The latter also brings a challenge. Putting a product in a low price category also affects the value people attach to it, despite the fact that they are high-quality products that can last a long time. Fortunately, we see that this perception is changing. If you look, for example, at the lively second-hand sale of our products on the marketplace or in a thrift shop. We are also taking our responsibility here, and we are looking for ways to change this mentality. By offering inspiration and services that make it possible for customers to make products last longer. Think of treatment products and spare parts for furniture maintenance and by giving a used furniture value through the Furniture Trade-in Service.
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