Soft home hot as Ikea opens in Brooklyn

By Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 6/18/2008 2:16:00 PM

Brooklyn, N.Y. – Despite a tough economic environment, Ikea is seeing strong furniture sales – and textiles remains a growth area – the company’s head of North American operations said following the grand opening this morning of the company’s Brooklyn store.

“We have new textile ranges that come in four times a year. What we find is people like to freshen up a room. That’s going well for us,” said Pernille Spiers-Lopez, president, Ikea North America.

Ikea has dramatically expanded its assortment of utility bedding – which in the Brooklyn store merits an entire room. The category “has done a total changeover. It’s a much bigger selection done by side sleep, back sleep, allergy-friendly,” said Spiers-Lopez.

The company’s Ikea Business division is also experiencing growth, she noted. The division targets independent business people who run shops, cafes, bookstores and other services. Ikea has been hosting a series of in-store events for women business owners to show them how they can outfit their locations with Ikea merchandise.

“We’ve been doing this the last three or four years, but I think it’s really coming to its peak,” said Spiers-Lopez.