IKEA will not launch production in Lviv region – Ukrainian companies do not meet the standards

IKEA could not agree on the launch of production facilities in the Lviv region, as reported by Retailers.

Back in 2017, the Swedish company was looking for partners in the region to manufacture furniture at local production facilities. But the representatives of IKEA did not provide any official comments regarding this issue.

As it turns out, IKEA simply could not find partners for cooperation. Roman Mathis, Head of the Investment Policy Department of Lviv Regional State Administration, in his comment to Tvoie Misto, said:

I’m not saying it’s not possible at all. IKEA will enter the Ukrainian market, but not now. Ukrainian businesses are not ready to partner up with IKEA. Many Ukrainian companies were not ready for such questions as whether their employees eat well and about their 8-hour working schedule. You cannot even comprehend the situation we have in the woodworking industry of the Lviv region.

Last August, IKEA presented the full list of products for which it wants to find Ukrainian production partners.

The company is interested in manufacturers of armchairs, sofas, office chairs, as well as producers of aluminum pans, stainless steel pots, lumber, ceramic washbasins, porcelain, and glassware, float glass, lamps, etc. The essential condition is a turnover of more than 2 million euros.

In July 2019, the media reported that the first IKEA store in Ukraine would be opened by the end of 2019. The store is to be opened in Kyiv’s Blockbuster Mall.