Ingka, the holding company for Swedish furniture giant Ikea, has announced on Friday that it will pay employees a total of €110 million euros in bonuses for their "extraordinary efforts" during the pandemic, Belga News Agency reports. Ikea operates in 32 countries around the world and employs over 170,000 staff.
Speaking to AFP, People and Culture Manager for Ingka Ulrika Biesèrt said: "I don't think that anybody was really prepared for the challenges posed by the pandemic. Our activity moved from being largely off-line to online in two weeks." She added that "Our collaborators are the heroes who reorientated our business to try to serve our clients as best as possible."
The bonuses will be distributed in all Ingka stores and for all employees working between 31 August 2021 and retaining their position at the payment date in January 2022. The size of an employee's bonus varies between individuals and their departments. The bonus is in addition to the annual bonus employees receive based on Ingka's overall performance. Ikea has eight stores in Belgium.
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Ingka accounts for 90% of turnover by the furniture company, which has largely resisted the economic downturn caused by the pandemic. Health restrictions and the forced closure of stores were offset by the additional purchases made by consumers to furnish their homes. Ingka says that with people spending more time at home, there was greater interest in homeware.
