Back to Sweden… Sort Of

A while back I went to the Beijing IKEA with a few friends, it is the second largest in the world dwarfed only by one in IKEA’s home country Sweden.

Entering IKEA felt just as if I was back in Sweden. Everything was the same as Swedish IKEAs. Except one thing. Here, the people were Chinese.

Products in the IKEA in Beijing cost roughly half of what they would have cost in Sweden. Since most of the products are produced in China, their savings in transport are passed on to the consumer.

Another difference is that in Sweden IKEA furniture is the cheapest you can get, and a popular brand amongst young people. In China, it’s also popular amongst young people, but for entirely different reasons. IKEA in China is more or less a luxury brand and a is used as a fashion statement.