Ikea Internship Report

SHENYANG AEROSPACE UNIVERSITY

A REPORT OF INTERNSHIP AT IKEA STORE

DEPARTMENT OF INT’L ECONOMICS AND TRADE

STUDENT: ALFRED PHILLIPS

4/01/2011

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………………………..3

IKEA………………………………………………………………………………………...4

Description of the company…………………………………………………………………4

Corporate structure…………………………………………………………………………..4

Company history…………………………………………………………………………….5

Company’s vision and business idea………………………………………………………...5

The marketing strategy………………………………………………………………………6

The marketing mix…………………………………………………………………………...8

Operating strategy……………………………………………………………………………9

Corporate strategy…………………………………………………………………………..10

Global strategy………………………………………………………………………………11

IKEA’s modification of the value chain…………………………………………………….11

IKEA IN CHINA…………………………………………………………………………..13

IKEA’s China customers……………………………………………………………………13

Adapting products and services…………………………………………………………….14

Research, education and marketing………………………………………………………...14

Trials and tribulations………………………………………………………………………15

IKEA China stores…………………………………………………………………………16

Products departments………………………………………………………………………16

IKEA Shenyang store………………………………………………………………………19

Future plans…………………………………………………………………………………19

CONCLUSION…………………………………………………………………………….21

Task and work done………………………………………………………………………...21

Recommendations…………………………………………………………………………..21

BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………………………………………….22

1 INTRODUCTION

This report is about the student’s internship at IKEA-an international furniture and household wares retail chain.

IKEA Svenska AB, founded in 1943 is the world's largest furniture retailer which specializes in stylish but inexpensive Scandinavian designed furniture. It has 284 fully-owned stores in 26 countries, employs over 127,000 people (2010), visited by over 500 million people yearly, and worldwide sales of about €23.1 billion and a net profit of €2.7 billion in 2010 (IKEA COMPANY REPORT 2010). IKEA's...