Ikea Bets on In-Store Holiday Events With Up to 25% Off Deals

Ikea U.S. will cut prices by up to 25% on its most popular products — including the Billy bookcase and Storklinta dresser — at U.S. stores between Wednesday and Dec. 24, the home retailer said in a Wednesday press release. The discounts anchor a holiday strategy built on events, member perks and fresh merchandise designed to pull shoppers into physical stores.

Members get an extra layer of savings. From Nov. 25 to Nov. 30, Ikea Family and Business Network members receive $10 off every $100 spent, capped at $100, on select purchases. That means a member spending $1,000 on eligible goods saves the full $100.

What happens at Lingonberry Lane?

Ikea will host a Lingonberry Lane Winter Holidays event at stores nationwide on Nov. 28. The free event lets shoppers decorate holiday cookies, create custom picture frames, receive limited-edition holiday bag charms and attend holiday hosting workshops, according to the release.

Two flagship markets deepen the push. Ikea Brooklyn runs its Lingonberry Lane Winter Holidays Market from Nov. 6 to Nov. 8, and Ikea Schaumburg, in the Chicago area, follows on Nov. 20 to Nov. 22. At the outdoor markets, attendees can embroider blankets, sample Swedish food and drinks and shop local vendors.

Paul Anderson, home furnishing and retail design leader at Ikea U.S., framed the events as family programming. "The Lingonberry Lane Winter Holidays Event and our flagship markets in New York and Chicago create new and exciting opportunities for families to spend time together this holiday season," Anderson said in a statement.

The takeaway: Ikea is treating stores as venues first, checkout lines second, for the critical November-December window.

What's new in the Vinterfint collection?

The retailer also expanded its Vinterfint holiday collection with new items: ceramic Christmas trees, chandeliers, tins, ornaments and aprons. The additions arrive in two styles — Scandinavian folklore and happy carnival.

How does the competition stack up?

Ikea is not alone in betting on experiential retail this season. Macy's unveiled a revamped Santaland experience at its Herald Square flagship in New York last month, along with new vendors for its Macy's Holiday Square market and a Blue Hippopotamus theme for its holiday windows.

On Halloween, Macy's opened a 50,000-square-foot Holiday Square experience on the lower level of its New York store, featuring 35 gift and food vendors. Local companies including Pearl River Mart, Levain and Eataly are among them.

Why does the store push matter for Ikea?

The holiday events arrive as Ikea reshapes its physical footprint in the U.S. Earlier this year, the retailer said it wanted to open 10 U.S. stores, including its first city-center location in Los Angeles and its first storefront in Oklahoma.

But October brought retrenchment elsewhere. Ikea said it would begin closing some planning and order locations in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., and offer staffers a chance to relocate to nearby stores.

The company is also leaning on partnerships to fill its sales floors. In May, Ikea debuted Best Buy consultation centers at two locations in Texas and Florida, where shoppers can talk with Best Buy staffers about technology products and appliances. The two retailers previously partnered to offer Ikea shop-in-shop kitchen and storage planning services within select Best Buy stores.

For Ikea, the holiday push doubles as a test of whether events and partnerships can drive traffic to a store network the company is simultaneously expanding and pruning.