Swedish furniture and homewares designer, IKEA, has thrown down the gauntlet against CE retailers, by establishing a dedicated ‘Home Smart’ business unit, just months after its collaboration with Sonos.
Announced in a public news release, IKEA asserts it made the “strategic decision” to invest even more in the home smart home market going forward, establishing IKEA Home smart as its own business unit.
“This is the biggest new business we are establishing since the introduction of Children’s IKEA,” affirms Peter van der Poel, Manager IKEA Range & Supply.
“We have decided to invest significantly in Home Smart across IKEA to fast-forward the development.”
The unit will be responsible for IKEA’s smart home business end-to-end.
The company’s smart home efforts launched in 2012, with the dedicated business unit tasked with enriching “all aspects of IKEA” with new technologies and solutions.
“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,” claims Björn Block, Head of the new IKEA Home smart Business Unit.
“We are just getting started.”
Product launches will include wireless charging, smart lighting and plus the recently launched recently audio collaboration with SONOS.
The Swedish giant has also etched its own connected home ecosystem plus smart lighting app – introduced as TRÅDFRI, and in June changed to the ‘IKEA Home smart app.’
The news follows reports SONOS is also open to a long-term partnership with IKEA, leveraging both company’s strengths.
Recently launched IKEA smart home products include a smart speaker with SONOS, with table lamp with a built-in speaker, with others likes app-controlled smart blinds reportedly in the works.
