Ikea to sell consumer electronics

Ikea is to sell furniture with built-in electronics such as TVs and sound systems as it looks to strengthen its presence in the electricals market.

Ikea

The first item in the “Uppleva” range will be a stand that combines a LED TV, a wireless sound system, an internet connection and CD, DVD and Blu-Ray player. More products are expected to be unveiled in the coming months.

Consumers will purchase the range as a flat-pack to be assembled at home. However, all the electronics will be supplied by Chinese manufacturer TCL Multimedia.

Ikea already sells electrical goods such as ovens and panini grills through partnerships with Whirlpool and Electrolux respectively.

The products will go on sale in three designs in France, Italy, Sweden, Poland, Denmark, Spain, Norway and Portugal from June, with more European markets due to launch in the second half of the year. The company plans to make the range available worldwide – including the UK – before the first half of 2013.

Ikea, the world’s largest furniture retailer by sales, will sell the products from about 6,500 Swedish kronor (£600).

The company aims to solve the issue of living clutter by reducing wires and the number of remote controls required with the new range.

It follows a poll of more 5,200 respondents conducted between 29 February and 15 March to gauge demand for the Uppleva range ahead of its launch. The report, which was conducted byYouGov, revealed that three out of four people want less visible cables in their living rooms, while 50% would like to reduce the amount of electronics in around their homes.

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