Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd

So IKEA has opened again, for the second time in Japan.

The first time was some 20-30 years ago and as far as I know Japan is the only country the very successful Swedish furniture company has actually failed. One explanation is that back then it was a too strange concept in Japan to provide customers with goods they actually had to, not only carry home themselves but also ‘construct’ themselves! IKEA failed, as did the economical Bubble-economy…. It was at that time also quite hard for any foreign company to establish in Japan. The prominent cultural idea of being either IN or OUT applied on a national level to tighten the large Japanese companies and that, at least used to, make it extremely difficult for foreign companies to establish in Japan. But time has changed, Japan is more open and supporting to foreigners and foreign companies, and now it is time again for IKEA to establish here.

We went to Funabashi to visit their first store (of seven planned) today. And it was an ordinary IKEA store. Of course it was a bit exotic to see the Swedish names, as for example Pjatteryd and Jerker, in Japanese contexts such as explanatory texts and brochures (in Japanese). It was also a bit surprising how much the Nation Sweden is really promoted. Swedish flags all over and the Swedish language is used in various titles and signs. The only items that are localised are sheets sizes and kitchen equipments. (As standard sheet size is different and default standard in Japanese kitchens is to have a small “oven” for fish-making but not ovens for large items).

But what was really was surprising and striking was that although there where a lot of people in the store, in the restaurant and in the cafe at the exit, the cashdesks were empty of customers! Was that just a moment of coincidence or where most of the people there to check the supply but with no intention to actually buying anything?

As far as I have learned about the Japanese, there are no other people on the earth more focused on quality, or having such a strong brand awareness. Maybe IKEA is considered too much as a Low price warehouse – not appealing to the quality-aware Japanese's? Or again, was it just an coincidentally moment that no customers where lined up at the cashiers? Huu, I am sure time will tell….