Ikea announces that it is issuing layoff notices to 60 employees, including 45 blue-collar workers and 15 white-collar employees, at the distribution center in Älmhult. The reason is that the Swedish flow will be centralized to Torsvik outside Jönköping in the future. However, the flows to Norway, Denmark and Iceland will remain in Småland.
The decision is met with strong criticism from Handels club chairman Isabel Nordgren.
We have presented concrete solutions that we believe could have reduced the number of people affected. But we do not feel that the company has wanted to listen. Ikea has said that the process should be fast and of high quality. It has been fast, but the quality has suffered, says Isabel Nordgren, club chairman for Handels.
She continues:
This is about people and their security. Then there must be time to listen and seriously consider solutions. I am disappointed with the company. In this case, I hardly think they have lived up to the Ikea spirit, says Isabel Nordgren.
Ikea Sweden's country manager Sara del Fabbro emphasizes that the decision was difficult – especially considering Älmhult's historical significance – but that it is necessary to streamline operations, keep prices down and create long-term conditions.
Major investment in smaller formats
Amid the cutbacks, Ikea Sweden is looking ahead. Over the next three years, the company aims to open around ten new stores in a smaller, more compact format. The focus is on cities and suburbs where the chain has not previously been present, and the concept builds on the city stores already established in Gallerian and Mall of Scandinavia.
We have a responsibility to continue to be relevant, accessible and affordable. We have listened to our customers' wishes and by establishing Ikea in places where we have not previously been, for example in smaller towns and suburbs, we make it easier for more people to benefit from our affordable home furnishings, says Sara del Fabbro, country manager for Ikea Sweden.
At the same time, the reopening in Uppsala is expected on November 19, after the Uppsala store was forced to close due to a construction defect in spring 2025. This operation is also being reorganized ahead of the restart – 15 white-collar workers are being given notice, but 25–30 new employees are being recruited for sales and customer meetings.
Second hand and previous savings
The recent changes follow a series of cutbacks. Earlier this year, the store in Borlänge was closed and the company has also presented several savings packages during the year.
At the same time, the parent company Ingka Group continues to invest internationally. The marketplace for used Ikea furniture is now expanding to Great Britain and Ireland, and is next in line for Germany next week. In Sweden and Portugal, they are also testing delivery collaborations with TippTapp to facilitate the transport of second-hand furniture directly between customers.