IKEA Estonia launched its online store as well as its first brick-and-mortar location, a limited showroom and pickup point, in the Lasnamäe district of Tallinn on Thursday. The Swedish furniture giant’s Estonian online store saw over 100,00 unique visitors on its first day.
“Our goal is to offer a better everyday life for as many Estonian residents as possible, and we would like to thank all of our shoppers for a fantastic opening day,” IKEA Tallinn manager Aleksejs Mihailovs said in a press release on Friday. “IKEA’s online store was visited by over 100,000 people, which clearly demonstrates that Estonian consumers took advantage of the opportunity to browse and purchase IKEA products directly online.”
According to Mihailovs, customers purchased over 2,000 different products, indicating that Estonians enjoy IKEA’s broad range of products and purchase furniture and accessories alike.
The most popular items by category in IKEA’s online store were tableware, kitchenware, boxes and baskets, and drinking glasses and mugs. Of furniture items, among the most popular were wardrobe solutions, shelving and dressers.
Swedish snacks, but no meatballs
Every other person to shop in person at IKEA’s Tallinn location also purchased items available at the store’s Swedish Food Market, which included cookies, chips, nuts and jams. Also popular on site were ready-to-buy children’s products and organizational items for the home and kitchen.
“IKEA [Tallinn] offers a substantial amount of its Swedish food product range, including organic and certified coffee and tea, and sweet and sour items such as nuts, cookies, oil and sauces for immediate purchase,” Mihailovs told ERR News, noting that many of these items are vegetarian-friendly.
It does not, however, sell its popular meatballs, either to eat on site or to take home, “due to delicate logistic and handling processes.” Unlike many of its full-sized stores, the pickup point does not feature an on-site cafe.
Asked whether IKEA has considered opening a similar pickup point in Tartu, Estonia’s major university city, or a full-sized store in either city in the future, however, the location manager demurred.
“Currently we’re focusing on launching the online store and Tallinn pick-up point as well as the excellence of operations in meeting the needs of Estonia’s many customers,” he said. “We would rather not speculate on any further developments at this point. We are in the assessment phase concerning [the new Tallinn location].”
Located at Peterburi Road 66 in Lasnamäe, IKEA Tallinn includes a 1,500 square meter showroom featuring dozens of realistically furnished rooms for inspiration as well as over 200 products, including pillows and kitchenware, available for on-site purchase.
Among the items available for immediate purchase are IKEA’s iconic blue Frakta shopping bags.
“Of course, customers are welcome to use their own bags and boxes to carry their purchased goods home if they would like,” Mihailovs added.
The showroom and order pickup point are open every day from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Customers can also place orders at IKEA Estonia’s online store 24 hours per day.
Founded in 1943, IKEA currently operates 420 stores in more than 50 countries. Thus far, the Swedish company has opened two stores in the Baltics — one each in Vilnius and Riga — as well as two pickup points in Lithuania.
