CHAPTER 14Strengthening Ikea in the United States
Ikea started its expansion into North America early; the first store was established in Vancouver, Canada, by 1976. Why this decision was taken I don’t know—probably it was due to personal preference rather than any business logic, given the fact that Vancouver was as far away from most of Ikea’s suppliers as you can get. Nevertheless, Ikea did reasonably well in Canada, and the organization there was given the directive to move across the border and establish Ikea in the United States. The first store in the United States opened in 1985 in Philadelphia.
The United States is probably the most challenging market to enter in the world today for a retail business. Back in 1985, I’m quite sure Ikea ...
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