Belarusian Swed House is trying to replace Ikea’s department store in Russia. On Saturday, the company opened its first store in Moscow, with goods that should appear to come from the Swedish furniture giant. – It is not forbidden. We sell and people buy, says Mamedali Kasymov, director general of Swed House, to the Reuters news agency. Ikea closed its department stores in the country in March 2022 in connection with Russia beginning its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. At the beginning of June, the furniture company then made the decision to sell its factories and to reduce its stocks in the country, only to announce a month later that the products it had left in the stocks would be sold online. The business idea: Copy Ikea Swed House’s business idea is therefore to try to imitate and replace the Ikea stores, writes Reuters. But Mamedali Kasymov emphasizes that they also have their own range. – We are not Ikea, but we strive to be like Ikea. We have our brands and our own goods. And yes, here are also goods from Ikea that we sell. 15-20 percent of our range consists of original items from Ikea, says Mamedali Kasymov to the news agency. Plans for expansion There is uncertainty about how Swed House got hold of the products that it claims are in Ikea’s range, but what is clear is that the company plans to open a total of five stores in the Russian capital. During the next year, they also plan to open department stores in other Russian regions. Ikeasfären still operates 14 commercial shopping centers in the country, under the Mega brand. See images from Swed House in the player above.
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Here, Ikea copy opens in Moscow: “Not forbidden”
