IKEA Abu Dhabi debuts “Make Room for Life” project

Store among 3 in the world chosen to pilot new concept

Dubai, UAE, March 10, 2016:  The IKEA store at Yas Island, Abu Dhabi is excited to unveil its newly redesigned living room section earlier today. Abu Dhabi was chosen as one of three stores worldwide to pilot this new store solution, the ‘Make Room for Life’ project aims at creating a more realistic and inspiring shopping experience. Having planned and implemented the new look living room over the past 3 months in the Yas store, representatives of the UAE team and IKEA of Sweden were present to talk to media and visitors about the new changes. 

The ‘Make Room for Life’ project draws its inspiration from the ever changing world around us and the evolving expectations of the global customer with a feel for local desires. With operations in over 45 countries worldwide, IKEA has taken into account global trends such as urbanization and technology; acknowledging that the world around us is changing and this change has an impact on our homes and the way we live. A crucial tactic of ‘Make room for Life’ is creating an enjoyable and seamless shopping experience.

John Kersten, Managing Director - IKEA UAE, Qatar, Egypt and Oman, who supported the concept said: “We are extremely proud to have been chosen for this pilot project and we are humbled by the opportunity to make a lasting difference to the IKEA experience for customers worldwide. This is a sign that our market is a valuable part of the IKEA group and that we have a significant role to play in the future of the global retail industry.” 

The newly unveiled living room is a clear shift from the regular showroom displays synonymous with the IKEA brand. While consumers might be familiar with the many rows of furniture traditionally displayed to demonstrate the wide variety of choice at IKEA, the new solution places room settings across the department in clusters - now called ‘neighbourhoods’ - specifically with the aim of raising the inspiration quotient in the store while helping customers make decisions more easily. With a more realistic approach using 4 walls there is a stronger impression of a complete room. The “neighbourhoods” also allow customers to walk through the room settings and discover solutions that create interest and curiosity. The solutions created within the “neighbourhoods” solve the needs of everyday life at home by telling a story and showing personal solutions that can appeal to the many.

Another strong feature within the new solution is the integrated approach towards digital technology. In keeping with the IKEA promise of instant gratification, the living room area is now equipped with tablets that can be used to browse through the range of products available. The introduction of tablets ensures more people can now interact with products on a digital level, at the same time clearing up and re-utilizing spaces within the department otherwise used by traditional product display.

“With the world around us changing we are aiming to adapt better to new ways of living and IKEA recognizes that time has come for some bold forward thinking! It’s not enough to do the things we used to do, but better. We are pleased to discover different ways of furnishing, completely new ideas and we dare to be bold. We are always a very curious bunch of people here at IKEA - observing, asking questions and constantly learning. We are not happy with a good experience, we want something better and outstanding. It’s not enough to meet the expectations of our customers, we want to surprise them! The new global living room project “Make Room for Life” focuses exactly on the same principle. Our 70 years of operations tells us customers already identify and like the IKEA concept - now this is our effort to create a better, even more inspiring shopping experience for them,” added John.

Along with UAE, the ‘Make Room for Life’ project is being piloted in Canada and Sweden with final plans set to ultimately roll out across all of IKEA’s 380 stores globally within a year. And, this is the newest solution now implemented in the Abu Dhabi store.