Ikea promotes kid connections - Home goods & housewares: what's hot what's new what's happening - Brief Article

DSN Retailing Today, August 4, 2003

How committed is Ikea to promote itself as a resource to families? At its new store opening in Paramus, N.J., Ikea was reaching out to kids--and their parents--all over.

Take model homes, for example. The store offers five model home displays with multiple room setups, including a number of children's rooms. One for an older child features a bunk bed with a living area below it so the kid can have company.

In an attempt to build beyond an association with young adults, Ikea has put a special emphasis on kids this year. Among promotional programs at Paramus, Ikea gave a Kryp toy to the first 100 children who entered the store during its July 30 opening. The store's 500-seat restaurant has a children's menu and offers any meal at half price in a kid-size version.

Ikea also has announced it will donate $2 to UNICEF for every $6.99 Brum teddy bear it sells. While this program is new in North America, Ikea already has donated $400,000 to the charity as part of a program worldwide, according to a UNICEF official.