IKEA To Open Thousands Of Pick Up Points Across Russia

The Swedish retailer IKEA is going to open several thousand pickup points in Russia over the next couple of years, the head of IKEA’s Customer Order Support Norbert Stepnowski told media yesterday.

“We intend to develop a network of pickup points and we want to go in to thousands in medium term. We have a stable growth of online sales, within the two years their share has grown by more than 11% in total turnover.” Stepnowski said.

New pickup points will be opened by phases; the exact timeframe and the geography of future points are still under development, he noted. The company is currently working with 70 pickup points in Russia, owned by transport companies – partners of IKEA, the senior manager added.

IKEA opened earlier on Wednesday a distribution center for direct deliveries near St. Petersburg. It will service about 150,000 orders per year, or about 410 each day of the year. The retail and online retail industry has been picking up in Russia, and home improvements are a big market in he country. In Russia, the retail sector was often growing out of nothing and out-of-town malls provided a place not only for shopping but also local eating and socializing.