Swedish furniture retailer IKEA is preparing its stores in Denmark to help people during major emergencies, including power outages, flooding and other crises, as European countries strengthen their civil preparedness.
The initiative could see IKEA stores used as temporary shelters, making use of the company’s large buildings, beds, kitchens and other facilities to accommodate people in need.
According to a Reuters report published on 9 October 2026, IKEA Denmark has developed emergency plans covering a range of possible disruptions. At Denmark’s largest IKEA store, security chief Torben Mortensen explained how the furniture retailer’s existing facilities could be put to use if a crisis occurred.
The preparations are part of a broader effort in Denmark and elsewhere in Europe to improve resilience against emergencies that could disrupt electricity, communications and essential services.
For IKEA, the planning represents an unusual extension of its normal retail operations. The company’s stores already contain many of the facilities that would be useful in an emergency, including places to rest, food preparation areas and large indoor spaces.
The Swedish retailer has a substantial presence in both Europe and Asia, including Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. While the emergency preparations reported by Reuters concern IKEA’s Danish operations, they illustrate how private businesses may contribute to national crisis preparedness.
The initiative comes amid growing European attention to civil preparedness and the role that companies and public institutions could play in supporting communities during emergencies.
Source: Reuters
Editorial note: I would keep the headline’s word prepare, rather than suggesting that IKEA stores have already been designated official shelters. The Reuters article was not accessible for full verification, so I have deliberately avoided unconfirmed operational details, capacities and direct quotations.
The connection to IKEA’s Asian operations gives the story a modest ScandAsia angle without suggesting that similar emergency arrangements are planned in Southeast Asia.
