Daily News
From Home Furnishing Business
Ikea Establishes New Internal Business Unit, Ikea Home Smart
August 21,
2019 by Laurie Northington in Business Strategy, Industry 
Ikea has announced its decision to invest more in its home smart area by establishing Ikea Home Smart as its own business unit within Ikea of Sweden.
Ikea Home Smart was initiated as a project in 2012 with the ambition to enrich life at home by incorporating digital elements and technologies into products and solutions.
“At Ikea we want to continue to offer products for a better life at home for the many people going forward. In order to do so we need to explore products and solutions beyond conventional home furnishing,” said Björn Block, head of the new Ikea Home Smart Business Unit at Ikea of Sweden.
“We have decided to invest significantly in Home Smart across Ikea to fast-forward the development. This is the biggest new business we are establishing since the introduction of Children’s Ikea,” said Peter van der Poel, manager Ikea Range & Supply.
Since the beginning in 2012, Ikea Home Smart has included launches within the product areas of wireless charging, smart lighting and just recently smart sound at home together with Sonos. Ikea has also created its own eco system and app for smart lighting first introduced as Tradfri, and in June changed the name to Ikea Home smart app.
Ikea has established relationships with major digital companies and has become a recognized player in the space of smart homes and innovation.
“By working together with all other departments within Ikea, the business unit of Ikea Home Smart will drive the digital transformation of the Ikea range, improving and transforming existing businesses and developing new businesses to bring more diverse smart products to the many people. We are just getting started,” added Block.