Lined up in the rain
Last week I participated in the opening of a new IKEA store in Fukuoka, the sixth so far in Japan. The store is built on environmentally friendly principles, using solar and thermal power for electricity and selling products that will not have a negative effect on the environment. The store opened early in the morning and in spite of heavy rain customers were already lining up in long queues since the day before. On the first day some 30 000 people visited the store. The local authorities had even constructed a new train station next to the store and when I was waiting at the platform to continue to Kita Kyushu, passengers kept pouring out of local trains.
It was all very impressive, but what impresses me the most when traveling in Japan is the interest in Sweden that meets you wherever you travel in Japan.There seems to be a genuine feeling of closeness between our societies. What we are looking for and the solutions we find to today’s challenges are almost identical.
April 18, 2012 kl 06:14
Nice report to make us feel being there!
In February we invited 8 managers from IKEA Shinmisato store to Sapporo and they attracted both students and non-students. Everybody there wanted to work for IKEA!!!
http://bit.ly/zSd5mn
Ms. Reika Izumikawa, store manager of IKEA Shinmisato is therefore invited again to Sapporo in May to continue the discussion.
There are very strong voices here to welcome IKEA stores on Hokkaido!
Maybe it is time for Sweden to take over the whole Japan……