IKEA, Sweden’s Jewel

The IKEA Experience

IKEA’s chief of corporate public affairs, Clive Cashman, is a low-key, upbeat, immensely knowledgeable Australian. He answered every conceivable question about the company’s history, philosophy, practices and, of special interest to readers of this publication, the catalogs.

Visiting an IKEA store is a hoot. Walking into the Plymouth Meeting store, I am immediately confronted with a “Welcome to IKEA” stand that offers free tape measures, pencils and shopping guides. Just beyond that is a room filled with thousands of soft, brightly colored balls. This is the playroom in which toddlers can be turned loose under professional supervision while their parents attend to the serious business of shopping. The cafeteria is off the main lobby, which means you head off to the furniture galleries savoring the smell of bread being baked.