IKEA, the dominant Swedish home furnishing retailer, yesterday hosted the official launch of its catalogue, which will support the grand opening of its first store in Thailand on November 3.
Starting Monday, about one million copies of the IKEA 2012 catalogue will be distributed to homes across central Bangkok and neighbouring areas within two weeks.
Lars Svensson, marketing manager for Ikano (Thailand), said that the 376-page IKEA catalogue features 3,500 home furnishing products, which is half the range of products consumers can find in the store.
He said that the Thai-edition IKEA catalogue will be “locally relevant”. It will be distributed in central Bangkok and neighbouring areas – such as Samut Prakan – which are within about 40 minutes drive-time from the store.
“The catalogue will offer solutions and ideas for consumers and help them to have a better everyday life at home,” said Svensson.
He said that some IKEA English-version loan and give-away catalogues will be available at the IKEA store on the opening day.
“We have also launched a 16-page IKEA catalogue teaser to introduce people to the catalogue and the store opening. It is the first time we have sent out a catalogue teaser in a new market,” Svensson said.
He said that a separate 12-page broadsheet catalogue would be launched to invite people to come to the opening.
“In my personal opinion, between 35,000 and 40,000 shoppers will visit the IKEA store on opening day,” he added.
Svensson said that Ikano has plans to open two more IKEA stores in Bangkok within the next 10 years.
Giving out the IKEA catalogue is a way of bringing the IKEA store into the homes of many people. For over 60 years, the catalogue has been distributed in many markets around the world. About 208 million copies of the 2012 catalogue have been printed, which is believed to be the largest printing of a publication in the world.
