As IKEA has shown its willingness to take steps towards a more circular future, we proposed a strategy to implement new circular concepts in its retail offerings, backed up by a customer segmentation analysis, a business model and a roadmap showing the possibilities of expanding this concept. We designed a new service concept for IKEA. IKEA UPCYCLÅR is an upcycling service that gives parents the possibility to rebuild their children’s old furniture into new pieces that they need, e.g. remanufacture a cot into a wardrobe or table. IKEA UPCYCLÅR has a workshop space in every IKEA equipped with all the tools needed for remanufacturing as well as trained professionals.

 

IKEA UPCYCLÅR is divided in three levels:

1. Done for you: You can pay for one of the professionals to remanufacture the furniture for you into your desired piece.
2. Learn & do: You can take courses in various subjects within remanufacturing. These are smallscale courses where the professionals help you to reach a higher level of skills in this field.
3. Done by you: You can choose to do it yourself at the workshop space; then you’ll only pay for the time you spend in the workshop space.

By implementing this new and more circular concept, IKEA allows customers to focus on one of the main advantages that this circular model provides, increased attachment, instead of focussing on the environmental and sustainable aspects of a circular offering. By doing so IKEA reaches a larger market while still making it fit with their brand values; accessibility (of a circular economy) and cost-efficiency (enabling customers to do it their selves).