ENG_B2.

1205R

IKEA
At Home
Reading & Writing
Level B2

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IKEA Outline

Content
Ikea is one of the most useful stores for decorating and furnishing your home. Ikea
was established in 1943 and since then has had a very successful history. Learn a
bit about Ikea and their successful business ideology.

Learning Outcomes
• Read about their business model
• Read about how they became a worldwide success
• Acquire new relevant vocabulary

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Text

IKEA: The Furniture Empire

IKEA is a multinational group of companies that

designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture (such
as beds, chairs and desks), appliances and home
accessories.
The company is known for its modern
architectural designs, and its interior design
work is often associated with an eco-friendly
simplicity.

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Text

IKEA was founded in Sweden as a mostly mail-

order business in 1943 by then-17-year-old
Ingvar Kamprad, who was listed as one of the
world's richest people in 2013, the company's
name is an acronym that consists of the initials
of Ingvar Kamprad, Elmtaryd (the farm where
he grew up), and Agunnaryd (his hometown in
Småland, south Sweden).

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Text

The first Möbel-IKÉA store was opened in

Älmhult, Småland, in 1958, while the first
stores outside Sweden were opened in Norway
(1963) and Denmark (1969). The stores spread
to other parts of Europe in the 1970s, with the
first store outside Scandinavia opening in
Switzerland (1973), followed by Germany
(1974). As of September 2014, there are 351
stores in 43 countries.

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Text

The store’s one-way

layout is specially
designed so customers
are led counter
clockwise along
what IKEA calls "the long natural way"
designed to encourage the customer to see
the store in its entirety. Meaning, once you
are in, the only way out is through the
register (though there are a couple of
shortcuts to different showrooms).
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Text

Something that makes IKEA unique is that

furniture is always packed in boxes, that
customers pick up and transport
themselves.
IKEA is owned and operated by a
complicated array of not-for-profit and
for-profit corporations.

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Text

The corporate structure is

divided into 2 main parts:
operations and franchising.
Most of IKEA's operations,
including the management
of the majority of its stores,
the design and manufacture
of its furniture, and
purchasing and supply
functions are overseen by
INGKA Holding, a private,
for-profit Dutch company.
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Text

While most IKEA stores

operate under the
direct purview of Ingka
Holding and the Ingka
Foundation, the
IKEA trademark and concept is owned by an
entirely separate Dutch company: Inter IKEA
Systems. Every IKEA store, including those run
by Ingka Holding, pays a franchise fee of 3%
of revenue to Inter IKEA Systems.

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Text

That is why the net profit of

IKEA Group (which does not
include Inter IKEA systems)
in 2010 was worth $23.1
billion, a total that
represented a 7.7 percent
increase over 2009.

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Text
Even if IKEA is widely criticized
for demolishing historic
buildings, destroying ancient
tombs while building, putting
small furniture stores out of
business, or the founder‘s
involvement in the Pro-Nazi
New Swedish Movement, IKEA
is still the go to store for
affordable, practical and
functional furniture,
appliances and home
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Vocabulary

1) Acronym 11) Purview

2) Initials 12) Trademark
3) Layout 13) Revenue
4) Registers 14) Tomb
5) Shortcut 15) Affordable
16) Appliances
17) Goods
18) Profit
6) Showroom
7) Array
8) Operations
9) Franchising
10) Functions

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Vocabulary

To assemble To manufacture

To list To purchase

To spread To supply

To lead To oversee
To pick up To demolish

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Open Vocabulary

Write down any other words you still have doubts about

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Grammar review
Please note

Gerunds may look like verbs, they can act as

nouns and be the subject of a sentence and
the complement of the verb „to be“.

Examples:
Shopping in IKEA is tiring Shopping is acting as the subject of
the sentence
because the stores are so
big!

Getting is the complement of

One of the things I enjoy the verb “to be”
the most at IKEA is getting
decoration ideas.

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Review

While the founder has stepped down as chairman, many

1. Purview
stores still come within his purview.
2. Array IKEA offers an array of household products for every taste.

3. To supply To supply the products, IKEA stores also have a warehouse.

4. Register I‘ll meet you at IKEA‘s register to pay for the couch.

Extra: The IKEA website contains about 12,000

products and is the closest representation of the
entire IKEA range.

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Exercises

Writing
Identify the main themes covered in the
text

▪ Theme 1:
▪ Theme 2:
▪ Theme 3:
▪ Theme 4:

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Exercises

Writing
Find three examples in the text where the
gerund is either a subject or a complement of
the verb „to be“.

1.-

2.-

3.-

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Exercises

Writing

Complete the sentences

1. IKEA is…
2. It is an acronym for…
3. Kamprad is…
4. There are…
5. Some criticisms...
6. Stores are…
7. Customers have to…

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Exercises

Writing
Imagine they are opening a huge IKEA store
in your town. What do you think would
happen? Would you be excited? Would you
oppose it? Why?
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
_
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Exercises

Writing

True or false
IKEA began as mail order business in 1958.
a) True
b) False

There are some shortcuts that allow customers to navigate from

showroom to showroom
a) True
b) False

IKEA‘s corporate structure is simple as everything is owned by the same

corporation.
a) True
b) False

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Exercises

Writing
Write sentences using the following words.
When possible, try to include the use of
gerunds as previously explained.

1. Purview _______________________________
2. Showroom _______________________________
3. Layout _______________________________
4. Appliances _______________________________
5. Affordable _______________________________
6. Functions _______________________________
7. Entirely _______________________________
8. Initials _______________________________

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Exercises

Speaking
Answer the following questions in pragraph
form
1) Why has IKEA become the go to store for buying
furniture?

2) Why do you think they chose the one-way layout for

their stores?

3) Explain the complexities of IKEA‘s corporate structure.

4) Why do you think people buy furniture they have to

assemble themselves?

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Thank you
We would like to thank
the following sources for their content
Text IKEA, Wikipedia contributors,
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?titl
e=IKEA&oldid=634766975,Retrieved at
10.12.2014, Creative Commons license
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ENG_B2.1205R
Images Shutterstock – ID 267397412
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Thank you
for choosing to learn
with

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