Consumer response to the debut of Swed House, a Belarusian furniture company that sells goods meant to resemble those produced by Swedish giant IKEA, in Moscow was divided on Saturday.
IKEA, along with a large number of other Western corporations, immediately ceased all retail and production operations in Russia as Moscow launched its "special military operation" against Ukraine.
"We are not IKEA - we aim to be like IKEA, we have our own brands, our own goods. Yes, we have IKEA items as well," said Swed House general director Mamedali Kasymov.
"We sell them -- 15% to 20% of our range are original IKEA products. Nobody prohibited us from doing this ... our own Swed House goods are in big demand as well," he said, referring to the packed store.
Customers inside the store who wished to remain anonymous expressed a variety of opinions.
"We have been missing IKEA a lot lately. This new store is, let's say, a pleasant beginning," said Natalia.
Others complained that the space was inadequate.
"Goods must not be just lying on top of each other. IKEA had a certain approach to product placement ... you could lie on beds, test the furniture," said Iohann. "If these guys want to improve, the road ahead is still very long."
Before expanding into other Russian regions the following year, Swed House first plans to open five outlets in malls in Moscow, according to Kasymov. The business still has 14 MEGA-branded shopping centers in Russia, and IKEA briefly restarted online sales last summer.
(Source:www.investing.com)
IKEA, along with a large number of other Western corporations, immediately ceased all retail and production operations in Russia as Moscow launched its "special military operation" against Ukraine.
"We are not IKEA - we aim to be like IKEA, we have our own brands, our own goods. Yes, we have IKEA items as well," said Swed House general director Mamedali Kasymov.
"We sell them -- 15% to 20% of our range are original IKEA products. Nobody prohibited us from doing this ... our own Swed House goods are in big demand as well," he said, referring to the packed store.
Customers inside the store who wished to remain anonymous expressed a variety of opinions.
"We have been missing IKEA a lot lately. This new store is, let's say, a pleasant beginning," said Natalia.
Others complained that the space was inadequate.
"Goods must not be just lying on top of each other. IKEA had a certain approach to product placement ... you could lie on beds, test the furniture," said Iohann. "If these guys want to improve, the road ahead is still very long."
Before expanding into other Russian regions the following year, Swed House first plans to open five outlets in malls in Moscow, according to Kasymov. The business still has 14 MEGA-branded shopping centers in Russia, and IKEA briefly restarted online sales last summer.
(Source:www.investing.com)
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