BURLINGTON, ON, Oct. 29, 2014 /CNW/ - IKEA is pleased to announce the appointment of Stefan Sjöstrand as President of the Canadian organization. Transitioning from his role as Senior Vice-President of IKEA France, Sjöstrand stepped into his new role in September. He has a proven track record of achieving business success through the development of people and is eager to bring insights, gathered from working for IKEA globally for many years, to the Canadian market.
"I feel fortunate to be stepping into a thriving business." says Stefan Sjöstrand, President, IKEA Canada. "I am looking forward to working with IKEA Canada's remarkable team to secure IKEA's position as the leader in life at home."
Sjöstrand is known for his energetic, compassionate and results-driven leadership style. Since joining IKEA Canada, he has embarked on a cross-Canada tour to engage with IKEA store and head office teams to do a deep dive into Canadian operations.
"For me, it is imperative to have a comprehensive understanding of each market before building a roadmap for the future. My focus will be to ensure we are serving our customers in the best way possible while maximizing operational efficiencies." says Sjöstrand.
Before joining IKEA Canada, Sjöstrand spent eight years working for IKEA internationally. He began as Global Manager for the Green Team in the Netherlands, where he built up a new supply chain for Green Plants. After two years Stefan transitioned to IKEA of Sweden, which is IKEA's design house, where he was chosen to be one of seven global leaders in product development. In 2012, Stefan joined IKEA France as Senior Vice President. In this role, Stefan was responsible for the commercial team, marketing, IKEA Food, as well as nine stores in southern France.
Born in Sweden, he began his retail career with a marketing and economics degree from IHM Business School in Malmö, Sweden. He quickly climbed the ranks at several high-profile international organizations including OLW, a leading consumer snack brand in Sweden, where he became CEO; Besthand, a start-up where built the company from the ground up creating strong organic growth; and finally Weibull Trädgård, a horticultural and garden supply company, where he held the position of CEO for the Nordic market.
About IKEA Canada:
IKEA is a leading home furnishings retailer with 342 stores in 42 countries worldwide, which are visited by 776 million people every year. IKEA Canada has 12 stores which are visited by over 25 million people every year. Last year the IKEA.com websites attracted 1.1 billion visitors. Founded in 1943, IKEA's business philosophy is to offer a wide range of products of good design and function at prices so low, the majority of people can afford them. For more information on IKEA, please visit: www.IKEA.ca.
Image with caption: "IKEA Announces Swedish Retail Veteran, Stefan Sjöstrand to Lead Canadian Organization (CNW Group/IKEA Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20141029_C2797_PHOTO_EN_7222.jpg
SOURCE: IKEA Canada
or to schedule an interview, please contact: Madeleine Löwenborg-Frick, Public Relations Manager, IKEA Canada, [email protected], 905-637-9440 x. 6378
ABOUT IKEA CANADA Founded in 1943 in Sweden, IKEA is a leading home furnishing retailer, offering a wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible can afford them. IKEA Canada is part of Ingka Group which...
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