OREANDA-NEWS. September 11, 2015. “We are growing in almost all our markets and we are happy about last year’s sales development. Our co-workers are doing a great job in developing and bringing high quality and low price home furnishing products to the customers through our stores and eCommerce,” says Peter Agnefj?ll, President and CEO of IKEA Group.

China remained the fastest growing IKEA Group market, followed by Russia. Germany showed record growth and North America performed well. Also South Europe demonstrated positive progress. Overall the developments illustrate a solid growth on the majority of the IKEA Group markets with only a few markets operating under more challenging economic circumstances.

Most of the growth comes from comparable stores. New stores combined with new digital solutions also contribute to the sales development. The home furnishing offer – not the least the bed & bathroom solutions – proved to be appreciated by many customers. Additionally, during FY15 the IKEA Group opened 13 new stores and three new Pick-up Points; in Spain, Norway and Finland, where customers can see a limited part of the IKEA range and pick up pre-ordered items.

“Looking ahead, we see many opportunities for us to continue to grow through our stores and by meeting our customers in new exciting ways in our multichannel environment – a journey we have only just begun. Continued growth and strong results enable us to continue to invest in our co-workers, in the value chain, as well as in sustainability - and thereby contribute to a better everyday life for the many people,” concludes Peter Agnefj?ll.

In this critical year for climate change, IKEA Group and the IKEA Foundation announced commitments totalling EUR 1 billion to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy and to support the communities most affected by climate change. The IKEA Group commitment takes the company closer to its goal to become energy independent, producing as much renewable energy as it consumes in its buildings.

The IKEA Group Yearly Summary, which gives a full account of the performance for the year, as well as the IKEA Group Sustainability Report, will be published in December 2015.

*FY15 = Financial year 2015 encompasses the period between September 1, 2014 to August 31, 2015. **1 Euro =\\$1.12 US Dollar on September 9, 2015

For further information, please contact:
Mona Astra Liss, US Corporate PR Director, Mona.Liss@IKEA.com, 610.834.0180, ext. 5852
Martina Smedberg, Media relations IKEA Group, Martina.Smedberg@IKEA.com, +46 42 444 77 76

About IKEA Group
Our vision is to create a better everyday life for the many people. We offer well designed, functional and affordable, high quality home furnishings produced with care for people and the environment. The IKEA Group has 328 IKEA Group stores in 28 countries. In addition there are more than 40 IKEA stores run by franchises outside the IKEA Group. The IKEA Group had 771 million visitors to the stores during FY15 and 1.9 billion people visited IKEA.com. IKEA incorporates sustainability into day-to-day business and supports initiatives that benefit children and the environment. For more information, please visit www.IKEA.com, facebook.com/IKEAUSA, @IKEAUSANews, @IKEAUSA, http://pinterest.com/IKEAUSA/, www.youtube.com/IKEAUSA, www.theshare-space.com, www.theshare-space.com/en/Blog