Who is the ceo of ikea uk

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Jesper Brodin is the CEO of Ingka Group. His career with IKEA spans over 20 years, and he stepped into his current role in September 2017. Before being appointed CEO, Jesper was Managing Director at IKEA of Sweden/Range & Supply, which is responsible for the development of the product range and supply chain of the IKEA Brand.

Jesper’s career at IKEA started in 1995 with a purchase manager role in Pakistan; not long after that he became Regional Purchase Manager for South East Asia. In 1999, he took on the assignment of assistant, both to IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad and to Anders Dahlvig, who was CEO at that time.

As a leader, Jesper is known for his belief in values-based leadership and for his emphasis on togetherness, saying: “The power is where the people are. Believe in yourself and your strengths, but don’t forget to rely on other people’s strengths, too. Because we’re truly stronger together.” Jesper’s vision for Ingka Group spotlights sustainable development. He is a member of the World Economic Forum, advocating for wider climate commitments across the global retail sector.

Jesper was born in Gothenburg, Sweden, and holds a Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden. Married with three children, he fills his spare time with sailing and music: “To play the guitar is my yoga. I do it every day.”

“For us, sales is one important way of knowing if customers appreciate how we do things and what we have to offer. Last year’s growth is the result of many years of planning, investments and improvements to the customer experience. And yes, we’re pleased about the growth. But customer expectations are always changing, so we know there’s still lots to do.”

How have you made things better for customers?

“Making things better for customers is the heart and soul of the IKEA business. Every day we test, try, and improve nearly everything we do. IKEA UK is one of many good examples.

Approximately 6 years ago, UK growth was flat. Customers found existing stores hard to reach and IKEA services expensive and unreliable. IKEA UK took this challenge head on by focusing on becoming even more accessible to the many people, by analysing, tweaking and in some cases replacing tried and tested ways of working.”

So what did they do about it?

“IKEA UK decided to take a holistic approach to London, their biggest market. Rather than think about the stores and website separately, they considered everything about how people in London interact with the IKEA brand. Then they identified new ways to inspire customers, and make shopping and getting IKEA products home even easier.

As a result, they created more diverse options for people to meet the IKEA brand. They improved their services and created new stores closer to where people live, work and socialise. And they continue to refine and improve to this day.

Now we’re taking a similar “total market approach” across all IKEA markets. Our aim is to be more accessible for people everywhere.”

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Peter Jelkeby is the latest judge of the Retail Gazette Awards, the Game Changers

Ikea has announced the appointment of Peter Jelkeby as the new country retail manager for its UK and Ireland division.

Jelkeby will replace Javier Quiñones, who left office on March 1 take on the role of country retail manager in the US.

Jelkeby’s appointment makes him the third boss of Ikea’s UK and Irish division in two years.

Quiñones had been in the role for less than a year, when he succeeded previous UK and Ireland boss Gillian Drakeford.

A Swedish national, this will not be Jelkeby’s first stint with the furniture retail giant.

He had previously spent 20 years with Ikea, working for the company in Sweden, Russia, Vietnam, and the UK and Ireland.

He started as a part-time co-worker in his local store before working his way up to a number of positions, including store manager at Ikea Lakeside, Ikea UK sales and communications manager and Ikea UK deputy retail manager.

Before his return to Ikea, Jelkeby worked at fellow Swedish retailer Clas Ohlson for nine years.

There, he held the roles of executive vice president and chief operating officer, director of operations and most recently acting chief executive.

In his new role, he will be tasked with ongoing transformation of Ikea in the UK and Ireland amid a challenging time for the retail industry.

The retailer has made a push into digitalisation and inner-city store locations as it adapts to higher levels of renting in urban areas.

In London, Ikea now has an order point in Stratford and two planning studios in Soho and Bromley.

In February, it opened a new store in Greenwich – London’s first full-sized Ikea store in 13 years.

Meanwhile last November, Ikea announced 7500 job cuts across its global operations, including 350 in the UK.

“I’m delighted to return to Ikea UK and Ireland at such a significant point in our history, as we evolve and renew our business to ensure Ikea’s continued success,” Jelkeby said.

“Building on many years of solid growth, we are responding to the changing needs of our customers to secure an Ikea that is affordable, reaches more people, delivers excellent customer experience and is truly people and planet positive.

He added: “Our co-workers are at the heart of our business. I look forward to reconnecting with past colleagues and meeting all our co-workers across the UK and Ireland as together we continue to grow and develop the Ikea business, not just today and tomorrow but for many years to come.”

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