Ikea reenters Japan: IKEA’s first try to enter Japan in 1974 failed for IKEA. Now second try in 2006.

Ikea reenters Japan after 32 years: IKEA’s first try to enter Japan in 1974 failed for IKEA. Now second try in 2006 – a full 32 years later

IKEA enters Japan for the second time, 32 years after the first entry to Japan.

Ikea reenters Japan: IKEA created a joint venture in Japan in 1974 and abandoned it in 1986 – this company still flourishes, but IKEA withdrew from Japan…

Ikea reenters Japan: Today, Monday April 24, 2006 at 7:30am, IKEA invited about 300 guests to celebrate the opening of the first 100% IKEA-owned IKEA store in Japan. We had the honor of working for IKEA – IKEA is another company that “thinks different” in so many creative ways. We wish them all the best in Japan!

IKEA failed the first entry into Japan in 1974 – but the business JV IKEA created was a success!

IKEA had attempted earlier to establish business in Japan via a joint-venture established in 1974. This Joint-Venture was terminated in 1986, and IKEA ended business in Japan in 1986. Interestingly – and this is not the only such case – its only that IKEA itself at that time failed in Japan. The business IKEA created in this joint-venture actually continued successfully without IKEA even after IKEA had left Japan.

There are several cases where foreign companies withdraw from Japan, while the know-how they created in Japan with a joint-venture survives and thrives in Japan under Japanese ownership.

IKEA enters Japan a second time

Ikea reenters Japan: About 20 years later, this is now IKEA’s second venture into Japan.

The photographs shows Mr Koshichi Fujishiro, the Mayor of the City of Funabashi, and Mr Gordon Gustavsson, Manager of the new IKEA Funabashi store sawing the traditional log. Witnessing the log sawing ceremony are Ms Akiko Domoto, Governor of the Chiba Prefecture, His Excellency, Mikael Lindstrom, the Ambassador of Sweden, Anders Dahlvig, CEO of the global IKEA Group and Tommy Kullberg, CEO of IKEA-Japan:

IKEA opening ceremony for the IKEA store in Funabashi
Ikea reenters Japan: IKEA opening ceremony for the IKEA store in Funabashi
Opening ceremony for IKEA's store in Funabashi
Ikea reenters Japan: Opening ceremony for IKEA’s store in Funabashi
Opening ceremony of the IKEA store in Funabashi: the Mayor of Funabashi and the IKEA store manager saw a log
Ikea reenters Japan: Opening ceremony of the IKEA store in Funabashi: the Mayor of Funabashi and the IKEA store manager saw a log

A JR-Keiyo Line train with IKEA logos passing the new IKEA store in Minami-Funabashi:

IKEA advertisements on JR-East trains
Ikea reenters Japan: IKEA advertisements on JR-East trains

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