Ikea China flagship store reopens

The Ikea Shanghai Xuhui store - the Swedish brand's first flagship store in the Chinese mainland - was reopened on Thursday after four months of renovation.

The revamped store, which has been around since 1998, will be the first in the world to feature the brand's "home experience of tomorrow" concept, according to the company's fiscal year 2022 news briefing held in Shanghai on Tuesday.

Digitalization is one highlight of the refurbished three-story store located in southwestern Shanghai - registration and reservation for in-store activities, self-checkout and food orders can all be completed digitally.

Ikea China's CEO Anna Pawlak-Kuliga said during the news conference that more efforts will be made to explore multiple distribution channels to better connect online and offline shopping experiences. The brand will also seek to provide professional home services in the country and provide more sustainable and affordable products and services.

Francois Brenti, vice president of Ikea China, said that the company will invest 100 million yuan ($15.4 million) in China for the fiscal year 2022 starting from September. Ikea will also introduce more than 1,900 new products to China in the upcoming fiscal year, among which 630 will be sustainable products.

Yang Hong contributed to the story.