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John Kersten, Managing Director – IKEA UAE, Qatar, Egypt and Oman at the launch of the new IKEA Catalogue
Focuses on the little things that matter
August 12, 2015: IKEA, the Swedish furniture retailer, a member of Al-Futtaim group of companies, launched its annual Catalogue at a press event hosted in the Dubai Festival City store yesterday.
This is the 65th edition of the global IKEA Catalogue launched simultaneously in 48countries and 32 languages. The new Catalogue theme is dedicated to that which naturally unites people – Food! The theme and concept supporting the theme– “It’s the little things that matter” – celebrates life in and around the kitchenwith the aim of bringing people together through the everyday enjoyable moments of preparing a meal andeating together.
To reinforce the new theme over the next year, the Catalogue focuses on four main initiatives highlighting “Growing and Producing”,“Cooking and Preparing”,“Eating, Drinking and Serving”, plus “Storing and Handling”. Each of these topics enablea healthier and more sustainable way of life while helping consumers create more special moments of togetherness while doing what they love.
John Kersten, Managing Director, IKEA- UAE, Qatar, Egypt and Oman said, “This year at IKEA we start with food by encouraging a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle through cooking, preparing and eating together. We will put the spotlight on the little things that we often overlook. In our daily lives, they might look like small details – a simple gesture or kind word that brings a smile to your face. We want to celebrate these simple things that make our everyday feel extraordinary.”
“And, through our IKEA Food department we are especially keen to contribute to a better everyday life with a wider offer of delicious, healthy food that is sustainably sourced and produced; all at affordable prices too. We aim to ensure our food offering enables healthier food choices by meeting people’s increasing interest in healthy food.”
Marking the beginning of the ‘New IKEA Year’, the 324 page IKEA Catalogue together with the IKEA stores aim to surprise and inspire consumers with 1,500 new products and as many ideas. This year IKEA will also be launching many new additions to its popular Restaurant and Café and Swedish Food Market. One of the newest and most anticipated additions to the IKEA Food family this season is the vegetarian “meatball”. Signifying a natural step in this new direction, the veggie balls offer a healthier alternative with high protein content and an even lower carbon footprint.
Visitors will also experience the new IKEA frozen yoghurt that offers a healthier alternative to traditional ice cream, plus a selection of organic products in the Swedish Food Market, which includes coffee, pasta, chocolate, cookies, jams and more. All salmon served at IKEA Restaurants& Cafés are ASC certified – Aquaculture Stewardship Council – which means that the brand follows certified sustainable practices for farming salmon. Sustainability for IKEA also means reducing food waste, both through the preparation process andproper storage methods. The IKEA core range also showcases products to support a more sustainable tomorrow; from heat retaining cookware and airtight storage containers to water and energy saving taps,and so much more.
Following the sustainability thread, the IKEA Catalogue – in collaboration with 30 of the largest print suppliers in the world – is officially the largest print production ever to be printed on 100% Forest Stewardship Council Mix Credit certified paper. This means the entire production chain, from forest to printer, is FSC-certified to ensure a more sustainable origin of the wood. Also, more than half of the total energy used in the pulp, paper and print production came from renewable sources.
Reaching over 100,000 downloads in the UAE last year, the IKEA Catalogue mobile application is available free of cost on iOS and Android platforms. In addition to accessing a digital version of the Catalogue, the application also shares tips and ideas allowing users to view extended content such as over 50 films, image galleries, 3D images and the augmented reality function by simply scanning the mobile phone iconpresent across the Catalogue pages.
The augmented reality function, which has been popular with users of the application, brings the Catalogue to life. By providinguserswith around 400 products that can be scanned to create furniture settings in their immediate surroundings, consumers are given the opportunity to digitally ‘try’ a product within their own home before purchasing it.
Within the UAE, the IKEA Catalogue is in its 26th edition with over 1.1 million copies printed.The prices printed stay true until July 2016 – and is therefore a guarantee for low prices throughout. Available in English and Arabic, almost 800,000 copies will be delivered door to door across Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and Al Ain. Consumers are also invited to pick up copies of the Catalogue from IKEA stores in Dubai Festival City, Yas Island – Abu Dhabiand Al Ainfrom today onwards.
