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On a recent Saturday afternoon, Ikea's flagship mainland store - one of the

world's largest - is abuzz with people. Walkways guiding visitors f rom one

showroom to the next feel more congested than the road outside, and almost

all 660 seats in the canteen are occupied. Yet the lines to the cashiers are

refreshingly short - most are not here to shop.

The store is gripped by a kind of anarchy that

would rarely be seen, or tolerated, in its country

of origin. There are picnickers everywhere -

their tea flasks and plastic bags of snacks lining

the showroom tables. Young lovers pose for

"selfies" in mock-up apartments they do not live

in. Toddlers in split pants play on model

furniture with their naked parts coming incontact with all surfaces.

On a king-size bed in the middle of the largest showroom, a little boy wakes

from a nap next to his (also sleeping) grandmother. When the old woman

casually helps the boy urinate into an empty water bottle, dripping liquid

liberally on the grey mattress under his feet, most passers-by seem not to

mind or even notice. The exception is a young woman who elbows her

disinterested boyfriend: "Look, he's peeing into a bottle!"

Most endemic, however, is the sleeping. After a few, rare clear days, the

city's notorious heavy smog has returned, and is made worse by a sticky,

dusty heat wave striking northern China. Weeks earlier, a photo of people

napping in a Shanghai shopping centre to escape the searing heat went

viral, but in the capital, it is Ikea's cool, conditioned air that is salvation for

tens of thousands of its inhabitants.

The bedroom and living room sections on the store's third floor are the mostpopular. Virtually every surface is occupied by visitors appearing very much

at home. Older people read newspapers or drink tea; younger visitors cuddle

or play with their phones. Most, however, are sound asleep.

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CHINA SOCIETY

Sunday, 01 September, 2013, 6:10amKim Wall in Beijing

[email protected] (mailto:[email protected])

Ikea at last cracks China market, but success hasmeant adapting to local waysFurniture giant has bent over backwards to accommodate Chinese keener on sleeping than

shopping, and is now seeing rapid sales growth

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Feeling right at home: Families, friends and couples slumber on furniture in Ikea's

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Feeling right at home: An old woman

helps her grandson urinate into a bottle

as he stands on a mattress on display

in the store. Photo: Kim Wall

(https://ww w .scmp.com/sites/default/files/2013/08/31/7473f0cdc89423533845824616b76c4a.jpg)

On an average day, the 42,000 square metre store lets 28,000 visitors

through its doors - though this day might be particularly busy. And every day,

Jason Zhang, who works in the bed section, pa tiently wakes up about a

hundred of them.

"Excuse me, you can't sleep here," he says politely but firmly, waiting for the

verbal abuse that often follows as he redirects them to a designated section

near the canteen. "Other customers need to try the product. The resting

area is just over there."

His efforts are mostly in vain. In the bedroom section, the few customers

actually interested in buying mattresses struggle to find space to try them.

Almost all the beds have people sprawled on them, or tucked in under

colourful duvets, their shoes kicked off on the floor. In one showroom, two

women and a baby are fast asleep in a bed, with a man, presumably the

father, knocked out in an armchair next to it.

"I think it's just that shopping behaviour in China is very different," says

Zhang, shrugging at the mayhem around him.

The Chinese approach to Ikea has long intrigued expatriates and domestic

internet users a like, with bizarre incidents regularly topping the news onsocial media. Judging from online testimonies, it seems fairly common to

leave kids alone to play and nap in the children's showrooms while the

parents run other errands. In Shanghai, it was rumoured that a speed-dating

club of 50 to 60 members gathered weekly in a store over free coffee

provided courtesy of the group leader's Ikea club card.

While the free-r iding may not seem like an immediate recipe for profit, Ikea is

exceptionally patient about it. "We welcome anyone to visit our stores -

today's visitor cou ld very well be tomorrow's customer," says Linda Xu, public

relations manager for Ikea China, adding that China is one of the company's

most important markets.

Yet it is obvious that Chinese consumers making themselves right at home in

the store put a strain on staff. In keeping with Ikea's focus on self-service, the

store has relatively few employees on the shop floor, explains Yvonne Yin, a

PR spokeswoman at a Shanghai branch.

"The sleeping behaviour does create extra work," Yin admits. Sheets have to

changed every other day or so. "We have mixed feelings about it. On one

hand, it's great that they love Ikea, but you think: why can't they do things like

that elsewhere?"

Ikea has tried hard, in its own way, to adapt to the Chinese market. Initially, it

was not a smooth ride for the privately held, Swedish-founded, Dutch-

domiciled company. The first two mainland stores opened in 1998, and it took

another eight years before other branches were added.

But now it seems Ikea's patience with what may be its most challenging

market is paying off after 15 years in the country. The company recently

became the largest foreign commercial landowner in China, with 12 stores

covering a total of 640,000 square meters. In fiscal 2012, turnover exceeded

6 billion yuan (HK$7.5 billion). It saw more than 15 million visitors - 7.3 million

of whom visited the Beijing flagship store.

And it is expanding aggressively. On Thursday, a third store opened in

Shanghai, while Beijing will get its second later this year. Land has also been

bought for another three stores in Chongqing, Wuhan and Hangzhou.

According to Tom Doctoroff, an expert on Chinese consumer psychology and

author ofWhat Chinese Want, the recent spike in Ikea's popularity is mostly

due to a dramatic change in pricing strategy. The average cost of Ikea

founder lets his

three sons take over

(/business/companies/

art ic le/ 12 559 84 / n ew-

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8 Jun 2013


art ic le/ 1119 4 0 7/ in dia

-likely -open-door-ikea )

India likely to open

door to Ikea


art ic le/ 1119 4 0 7/ in dia

-likely -open-door-ikea )

4 Jan 2013

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re in Hong Kong

25 Aug 2013
http://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/1299396/why-children-many-important-people-are-hong-konghttp://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1255984/new-generation-takes-reins-ikea-founder-lets-his-three-sons-takehttp://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1299965/time-cathay-come-clean-junkethttp://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/1299396/why-children-many-important-people-are-hong-konghttp://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1300831/restaurateur-buys-paper-side-dishhttp://www.scmp.com/comment/blogs/article/1298068/triumph-skies-failure-hong-konghttp://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/1301354/hope-highlights-divide-between-hong-kong-and-shanghaihttp://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1299965/time-cathay-come-clean-junkethttp://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1119407/india-likely-open-door-ikeahttp://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1119407/india-likely-open-door-ikeahttp://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1255984/new-generation-takes-reins-ikea-founder-lets-his-three-sons-takehttps://www.scmp.com/sites/default/files/2013/08/31/7473f0cdc89423533845824616b76c4a.jpg


3/5



products has fallen 50 per cent in the past decade.

The main problem was that, until recently, people were not willing to pay

Ikea's prices, Doctoroff says. For Chinese consumers, products for domestic

consumption are secondary to the more visible status offered by Western

brands such as cars, watches or even Haagen-Dazs ice cream and

Starbucks coffee. "They finally got the price-value equation right," he says.

For many, going to Ikea may not be too dissimilar to visiting a theme park.

Generally, Doctoroff explains, Chinese people tend to take a more

recreational approach to consumption. "Shopping in China is far more about

the experience itself than it is in the West," he says.

Sometimes, it's simply something you do to escape the heat and enjoy agood nap. Unperturbed by the commotion around her, a young woman

slumbers peacefully on a bed in a showroom until her friend, awake at the

foot end and checking her phone, gently pokes her. She sits up and casts a

sleepy eye around her.

"I was just tired," Xujin, 18, replies when asked about her choice of napping

spot, seemingly confused by the question. "I don't mind all the other people.

It was very comfortable."

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as Not

taking success lying down

ALL COMMENTS (/NEWS/CHINA/ARTICLE/1300942/IKEA-LAST-CRACKS-CHINA-MARKET-SUCCESS-HAS-MEANT-ADAPTING-LOCAL

MOST RECOMMENDED (/NEWS/CHINA/ARTICLE/1300942/IKEA-LAST-CRACKS-CHINA-MARKET-SUCCESS-HAS-MEANT-ADAPTIN23

johnfra

morganmaj

Up to three years in prison for Chinese internet users who spread rumours

(http://scmp.co m/news/china/artic le/13 07 266/jail-threat-mainland-internet-users-who-spread-rumours)

Sep 11, 2013

Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights(http://scmp.com/news/china/article/1251239/why-are-chinese-tourists-so-rude)

Sep 11, 2013

Chinese netizens feel 'cheated' that the iPhone 5c is still expensive(http://scmp.com/news/china-insider/article/1308223/chinese-netizens-feel-

cheated-iphone-5c-still-expensive)

Sep 11, 2013

Hongkongers not nearly as happy as Asian rivals(http://scmp.co m/news/hong-kong/article/1 307 853/hongkongers-not-nearly-

happy-asian-rivals)

Sep 11, 2013

3,000 villas, but no ones home: Inside the Jing Jin ghost city(http://scmp.co m/news/china/artic le/13 07 246/30 00-v illas-no-ones-home-inside-

jing- jin-g host-c ity )

Sep 11, 2013

This article is now closed to comments

johnfra

Sep 5th 20138:00pm

Reading some of the comments so far, may I suggest that there are other explanations why the Chinese mass es

in China act the way they do, particular in environment that is not their usual daily milieu. Remember not too longago most of these folks are peasants from the countryside, with NOTHING having been robbed by the West over

the centuries and are s till being robbed dai ly by their own corrupt officials AT EVERY LEVEL, starting from time

immemorial.

They are now, thanks to DENG Xiaoping and the West who transplanted the whole of their technologies, jobs,

expertise to China for the sake of "cheap" labour and thereby ruining their own countries, the Chinese have

moved to the cities and begin to enjoy a better living, one that they deserve. Again, thanks to the consumerism

and brand-name identification, they are lured and sucked into Western life-style and comfort. Some of them (girls

especially) even think going out with a foreigner is an attraction in itself, and most Chinese think everything

Western is wonderful just as the guilt-ridden Westerners now think everything Chinese is fabulous.

Give them some time and they will be jus t like everyone else. They might even stop SPITTING, URINATING and

DEFECATING in public, SWEARING in front of women and children and maybe even start QUEUEING-UP to wait

for their turn.

morganmaj

Sep 5th 201312:06am

A couple of months ago in the HK IKEA in Shatin I watched a small boy (4 years old?), alone, in a child's bedroom

mockup, he took off his shoes placed them neatly under the child's bed and then pulled back the duvet, climbed

in, pulled up the duvet and snuggled up underneath and was clearly in 7th Heaven. If I had a video camera it

would have formed the basis for a wonderful advert for IKEA.

Was he abusing where he was and what IKEA was trying to promote? NO he was obviously an IKEA convert, at

least for the short term if not the long term.

After reading this article, people also read
http://scmp.com/news/china/article/1307246/3000-villas-no-ones-home-inside-jing-jin-ghost-cityhttp://scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1307853/hongkongers-not-nearly-happy-asian-rivalshttp://scmp.com/news/china-insider/article/1308223/chinese-netizens-feel-cheated-iphone-5c-still-expensivehttp://scmp.com/news/china/article/1251239/why-are-chinese-tourists-so-rudehttp://scmp.com/news/china/article/1307266/jail-threat-mainland-internet-users-who-spread-rumourshttp://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1300942/ikea-last-cracks-china-market-success-has-meant-adapting-local-ways?comment-sort=recommended#commentshttp://-/?-


4/5



mcdinc

Adrian P

michael.desocio.37

yellow_lynx_cat

brent.mosey

leekaon

vinniepee

sienna.lai

mcdinc

Sep 4th 20133:30pm

jus t curious why this represen ts Ikea "at last cracks the China m arket" just cause it lets people sleep on it's

showroom furniture.. For those living in Beijing since the store first opened (like me), we can attest to the affect on

traffic that Ikea's popularity has caused. i would question the use of "at last"... it's been widely popular ever since it

first opened cause it i s so convenient and always has been moderately priced..

Adrian P

Sep 4th 20134:00am

"According to Tom Doctoroff, an expert on Chinese cons umer ps ychology and author of What Chinese Want, therecent spike in Ikea's popularity is mostly due to a dramatic change in pricing strategy. The average cost of Ikea

products has fallen 50 per cent in the past decade." Congrats to SCMP for turning another legitimate news item

into a trivializing, trashy and baiting tabloid piece!

michael.desocio.37

Sep 4th 201312:38am

I'm shocked by the racist comments on this board. This article captures one of the many, many reasons why I love

China so much. Sure, Westerners know how to "properly behave" in an Ikea or a shopping mall - just like perfectly

herded and obedient sheep, or domesticated animals. (By the way, who says *your* way is the *right* way? Other

questions to as k yourself: Why are you so angry and threatened at other ways? And what gives you the right to

judge?) Read Michel de Certeau's "The Practice of Everyday Life," about the small res istances and unprescribed

uses people make of objects and spaces. [paragraph] Go to a housing estate in China, and then one in America,

and you'll see the difference. In China it's a safe, bustling, active community with a creative informal economy and

where women of all ages (with men as well) have set up meeting places to dance and exercise; in America or

England, it's a danger zone of violence and gang-con trolled turf, where the elderl y dare not stay out in the open for

too long. [new paragraph] And did you stop to think that being in Ikea is for many Chinese like being in a foreign

space? The air-conditioning, the luxurious soft beds and cushioned furniture (many Chinese sit on wooden

furniture and sleep in hard beds) - it's not just a place to browse furniture, but to enjoy the experience of being in a

kind of exotic locale. If anything, I want to say: Stop judging (an understandable albeit knee-jerk response), be

open and try to think it through.

yellow_lynx_cat

Sep 11th 20133:58pm

In America or England are public and poor people lived there. In China those housing estate are

owned by the much well-off middle class - that's why you noted the difference. As a Chinese I

just hope you throw away those roman ticised im press ion of China. Mainland Ch ina is a barbaric

place, it is not racist (because I am an ethnic Chinese too), but a sad reality because the 5000

year civilization collapsed half a century ago.

brent.moseySep 5th 201312:48pm

China is certainly different than your typical North American or European countries, and it can be

an exciting pleasure at first. I remember, during the early years of traveling to China, feeling

similar to you. The problem is, for me at least, it wore off. The idea that "Westerners" know how

to "properly behave" just like herded sheep is a little off base, in my opinion. It's called having

respect for others. I don't push people off the subway because I think about the outcome and

realize I may hurt others. I don't push m y way to the front of a line becaus e I realize that others

have been waiting there longer than I have, and I wouldn't want that to happen to me . I don't

smoke in an elevator with children, because I realize smoking is my choice, not theirs, and it

should only be affecting me. I stop for people crossing at cross walks because I consi der the fact

that I may injure someone. Being a herded sheep has it perks. When I brought my family to

China for one of my visits, it was extremely stressful trying to watch my children as bicycles,

motorcycles and even cars were constantly presenting dangerous situations. We had two very

close calls. Safe wasn't exactly the word that I, personally, would use.

I'd hardly call it "racist" to comment on common trends I've seen in the country of China. That's

about as silly as saying it's racist to say that most Chinese use chopsticks. Anyways, fortunately,I don't live there, so if that's what you love, its all yours

leekaon

Sep 6th 20135:47pm

Agree no more

vinniepee

Sep 4th 20135:37pm

Next time, open a shop, and let me come and 'try' all the products for free, then walk out.

You speak from a hole that certainly isn't your mouth.

sienna.lai

Sep 4th 2013

1:25pm

how is this racist? .. perhaps 'culturalist', MAYBE .. And that's only because most of us get

trapped in this mire of falacious thinking easily. The lack of respect you speak of is exactly the

behavior being brought about (again) with this article. Lookup

'****www.criticalthinkeracadem y.com/' for your own sake, PLEASE!

I think you have it backwards .. it is eas tern culture to behave like 'perfectly herded and obedient

sheep, or domesticated animals." .. that is until they are released into the candy store of new


5/5



found freedom. .. this i s wha t we are seeing .. and often .. literally every time I have been a

witness.

Past, that it is 'culture' BY ITSELF that engenders d rone like thinking .. not just 'eas tern' or

'western'.

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Ikea at Last Cracks China Market, But Success Has Meant Adapting to Local Ways _ South China Morning...

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