IKEA Launches 2021 Catalogue

Celebrating the 70th birthday of the catalogue, the 2021 edition has been transformed into a handbook for better everyday life at home

United Arab Emirates, 25 August 2020:  Swedish furniture giant, IKEA, launched today its all-new 2021 Catalogue at a one-of-its-kind virtual event which hosted over 200 attendees. This year’s catalogue, which is the 70th edition, is created as a handbook that feels like a friendly and optimistic problem-solver full of smart tips, hands-on ideas and small affordable shifts, rooted in real life at home. It is a way of sharing knowledge and a point of view that a better home creates a better everyday life. The handbook is filled with “how-to’s” that show how creating a better home doesn’t have to be complicated, expensive or time consuming.

IKEA believes that there’s no place more important than home. That’s why for the launch of the new catalogue, it hosted an independent research of more than 5,000 people to understand the wants and needs of the UAE better when it came to life at home. The research also dug into how this has changed since 2019 with the new challenges that the year has seen. 

Changing rooms in the face of a pandemic

Almost half of the people in UAE found themselves spending more time in a different room this year due to COVID-19, with 41% using their living rooms to work. With the pandemic forcing more people to stay at home, home décor became a priority with 43% focusing on this in the last three months and more than half (52%) choosing to spend money on their home space rather than saving. Affordability is key to the IKEA business idea, which is built into every product and service to ensure that many people can enjoy a better life at home. 

New collections

SYMFONISK

For IKEA, part of designing a smart home is about enabling people to create an atmosphere in their home. By integrating technology with home furnishing products and solutions, it can further improve life at home. Great sound doesn’t need a lot of physical space and with SYMFONISK bookshelf and table lamp speakers, IKEA and Sonos is challenging the way we think about sound and light at home. The collection is now available to buy in store and online.

SAMMANKOPPLA

IKEA knows that people today want their personalities to be shown in their home. However, both space and money are limited when living in big cities. Since multi-function and creativity is key in order to enable both a small space living solution and an expressive design piece, IKEA turned to Greyhound Original. The result is a collection influenced by Asia, called SAMMANKOPPLA which means interconnect or unify. The collection is now out in the stores.

LEGO

IKEA is a very playful company and knows that playtime is crucial for the well-being of both adults and children.  A year ago, LEGO Group and IKEA partnered to explore and develop solutions to stimulate play all around the home. The collaboration will result in BYGGLEK which will be launched in stores later this year in October. 

Plant Balls 

IKEA is also introducing a more sustainable alternative to the iconic IKEA meatball. The new IKEA plant balls look like meat and tastes like meat but do not contain any animal protein or ingredients. The plant-based balls will be launched across all stores in the UAE in November 2020.

Commenting on the launch, Vinod Jayan, Managing Director – IKEA UAE, Egypt and Oman said, “Now in its 70th year, the IKEA catalogue 2021 aims to inspire people to live healthier and more sustainable lives at home – this has never been as important as it is today. On the path to a better life at home, small steps make a big difference. An armchair, a rug, a potted plant or a lamp can change your mood, day and perspective.”

He continued, “We know that many people in the UAE have more limited budgets today. That’s why many of the solutions featured in this year’s catalogue are accessible for people with any budget and help them maximise their space and transform their favourite rooms.” 

This year’s catalogue comes in both a print version as well as digital version that is optimised for different channels and platforms.

Carla Klumpenaar, General Manager, Marketing and Communication commented, “The IKEA catalogue 2021 is not just a catalogue – it is a collection of inspiration and knowledge of life at home for all IKEA online and offline channels, for digital and physical touchpoints. We are continuing to develop the global marketing channels and at the same time create content locally to become even more market relevant with a selection of styles, situations, segments and stories.”