IKEA gives Filipinos a taste of Scandinavian Christmas

 When IKEA opened its doors in the country in December last year, I hoped it would bring in the holiday decorations I often see in its online catalog. Too bad that didn’t happen then.

This year, however, the retail giant went full blast on their Christmas/Holiday items, bringing the Vinterfint collection to our shores. I, and I am sure many fellow IKEA Filipino fans, just went and bought as much as we could. 

There was an assortment of shiny baubles, LED lights, trees, and decorations to mark the season. There were even festive table linens, plates, and napkins for the Christmas dinner.   

I particularly like this ceramic horse and reindeer set.

As well as this Christmas gnome.

While reading the small prints revealed that these were 2021 items, they still gave us Filipinos a chance to decorate our homes differently from the American-style Christmas decorations.

Have a Merry Christmas, everyone!

IKEA is coming to the Philippines in 2020!

After years of speculation and waiting, IKEA made it official: it will open a store in the Philippines in 2020. It will be the Swedish retail company's biggest store globally, covering an area of 65,000 square meters.  The two-story building will be located at the Mall of Asia complex, and for added convenience to loyal SM customers, there will be a walkway that will connect the store to the mall.

image from the Internet

I've been to an Ikea store in Singapore, and it was a great experience.  Although it was like going through a maze, I was like a child in a candy store.  By the way, I am not really interested in their furniture, which doesn't look durable.  What really made me go around the labyrinth-like store were the home accessories like curtains, cushion covers, and decor. Plus, the products were priced reasonably that you can be forgiven for indulging.  Hopefully, the future local Ikea store will use the same price points when they finally opened their doors in 2020.  Online shopping will also be available for those who want to buy stuff from the comforts of their home.  But personally, I prefer to see and touch the products before purchasing.

Some 9,000 products will be included in the store's line-up, raising some concern among local netizens.  The store's opening could potentially affect local furniture producers, according to some posts,  and negatively impact the livelihood of those working in the industry.  Others hope that the retail giant would include locally-sourced products in their inventory to 

Nikkei Asian Review reported that Ikea had 422 stores in over 50 countries as of the end of August when the retailer closes its fiscal year. It attracted 957 million shoppers and generated $43.9 billion in sales during the 12 months.