Proximity triumphs as Ikea builds for expansion drive

Proximity London has beaten off DigitasLBi to scoop the Ikea Family business, bringing the curtain down on Lida’s seven-year relationship with the flatpack retail specialist.
The account, which will include digital as well as direct mail, is yet another feather in the cap of the Proximity new business team which earlier this year landed the combined CRM strategy brief for Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Holidays.
It is also another big win for global president Mike Dodds; during his tenure the London agency has picked up more new business you can shake a stick at, including Specsavers, Lloyds Bank, John Lewis, Oxfam, Disney, Skoda and Bacardi.
The appointment also comes at a key moment for Ikea, which is attempting to boost its online sales by running trials with the likes of Amazon and Alibaba as part of a wider push to increase its marketshare.
The retailer is also testing a smaller city centre store format, as well as order and pick-up points and standalone kitchen showrooms.
In October, Torbjörn Lööf, chief executive of Inter Ikea, told the Financial Times it was “the biggest development in how consumers meet Ikea since the concept was founded. We want to learn … we want to find out how we could keep our identity on a third-party platform”.
There are now 403 Ikea stores globally with another 22 stores expected to open over the next 12 months in countries including India and Latvia. The retailer has outlets in 49 countries and plans to enter South America within the next five years.
The Ikea Family loyalty scheme has over 52 million members and operates throughout Europe, the Far East and the US.