Fred James

I take your point but Ikea is about the last place I would use for things like a dishwasher.

That said, I recently bough a bar stool in Ikea Malaga - as you say, there was a big difference in price compared to the UK price.

Ikea are very very clever at marketing - you've only got to look at the store design. They probably have a good reason for differential pricing although I can't imagine what it might be!

Chiclanagir

MONEY!

Dick Dasterdly

I think quite a few wifies are virtually addicted to Ikea and imagine because some articles appear to be good value, think they all are and possibly buy some items at ridiculously inflated prices on impulse, rather than weigh the form up on line or in electrical discount stores.
As Fred says,much of its down to clever marketing and conning the public.
I imagine Ikea can make as much profit on ten washing machines as the specialised shops make on a hundred, so they're not concerned about those ppl who have enough sense to go elsewhere, as long as they manage to sell a few.
Personally I avoid them like the plague.
I hate the whole set-up and don't rate most of the stuff they sell.
It's at least fifteen years since I was last dragged kicking and screaming into one of their stores.
I'd rather do time in the Scrubs than endure that tortuous marathon again.

Rosemary

Never been, never seen the catalogue so what is so good or so bad about it all?

Rosemary

EsuriJohn

All Ikea appliances are made by Whirlpool until last year they used to be branded as that but became Ikea then. The manual which can be downlowded is the same for both.

reggiedh

When all said and done I give them a thumbs up. We had our kitchen done by then and they were much cheaper than the local kitchen people. And before anyone says there quality is shite it isn't. I was the same as the kitchen places and available that day; not 6 weeks out. I don't have any problem with them at all and for certain items bloody useful.

Mitzyboy

I hate IKEA

Ever since I went to the Wednesbury shop and I had to queue to get in the car park
Then I had to queue to get in the shop as they let us in 20 at a time
Then I had to walk around like a sardine being crushed by other shoppers
At the tills to get out they were in a real mess ..... and of course I had to queue for ages

I dont like queueing

The restaurant is good though

Rosemary

Did you buy much, was it good or bad quality?

Rosemary

jackytoo

We had a den in spain where the pets slept. We were trying to buy 2 sofas with removable loose covers. Sevilla IKEA had just opened so we paid a visit bought 3+2 sofas with 2 sets of covers, beige for winter and white for summer. They were great, comfortable and still looked like new when we left, thanks to the machine washable covers. Delivery was 2 days later for the CDS. Classical design think they called it Ektorp and they cost about 1400 euro. Can't remember how many years ago but the store had just opened.

whitelinen

Ikea is a global brand with millions of satisfied customers.

noelrosie

Well what about Zara? A good Spanish brand who will charge at least 20% more for any item bought in the UK rather than its Spanish shops...

And in UK, it is often a 'postcode lottery' as to how much you will pay for a certain item.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/n...in-stores.html

I like IKEA ... does what it says on the tin

Chiclanagir

Can´t fit in to Zara clothes in Spain. They are all made for midgets.

Chiclanagir

A friend had her kitchen from Ikea and I must say it looks super. The settees are also a lot cheaper and more modern than I can buy locally. Not a problem with that, but...............

reggiedh

The most comfortable sofas we ever owned were from Ikea but after 5 years they were knackered. But we had twin teenage sons and dragging them through two African countries didn't help either.

Dick Dasterdly

It was started by a very industrious guy with a few scraps of wood in a garden shed.
In a short time he had so many mail orders coming in that he had delivery problems and came up with the often despised flat pack idea.
As you say its now a global brand and virtually none of its products are made in Sweden, though they have a design centre there in order to to use the countries name as a marketing tool.
The same guy Kamprad is still virtually in control of the company and said to be one of the Worlds richest ppl. though exactly how rich is not known, as all his profits are squirrelled away tax free in the Dutch Antilles.
He did set up a charity of a sort, but that again was soley for his own benefit.
The company almost had a major disaster when it became public knowledge that Kamprad had been a very active member of the Nazi party even until well after the war.
However a massive public relations campaign in which he denounced his previous activities helped to rescue his predicament, though many still believe the leopard hasn't changed its spots and question his true motives and intentions.