IKEA Canada Awarded as one of the Best Employers in Canada by Forbes Magazine

Our culture and values are the foundation of IKEA, contributing to an engaging, inspiring and rewarding place to work

BURLINGTON, ON, March 7, 2016 /CNW/ - IKEA Canada is proud to announce that they have been selected as one of the Best Employers in Canada by Forbes Magazine.

"I would like to thank more than 4,600 Canadian co-workers for their contribution in making IKEA one of Forbes Best Employers in Canada," said Stefan Sjöstrand, President of IKEA Canada. "We strive to provide our valuable co-workers with a Great Place to Work filled with development and career opportunities while recognizing their continued efforts and contribution to our success."

At IKEA Canada, our co-workers are a diverse group of down-to-earth, straightforward people with a passion for home furnishing who share an inspiring vision; to create a better everyday life for the many people. Our values based recruitment continues to attract high potential leaders to our organization. We continue to maintain a strong focus on female leadership. More than half (55 per cent) of our co-workers are female and 55 per cent of all managers are female.

"I'm so proud to work for an organization like IKEA Canada that truly values and recognizes my leadership capabilities and talents," said Ivana Colatosti, Store Manager, Etobicoke, Ontario. "I've had the opportunity to work in a number of key functions including interior design, marketing, and now as a Store Manager leading a multi-million dollar business. These experiences have moulded me into the leader that I have become today."

The following are just a few of the many initiatives that make IKEA a Great Place to Work:

• Every co-worker has the ability to learn and the possibility to grow and develop their career at IKEA.
• Competence development and extensive learning offers for all co-workers.
• Global career opportunities
• Industry leading compensation and benefits, co-worker discount program, interest-free co-worker purchase program, and subsidized nutritious meals.
• Generous One IKEA Bonus Program for co-workers, "Tack!", the IKEA co-worker retirement savings program and Group RRSP Contribution program
• IWitness Global Citizens Program- A co-worker program that provides the opportunity to visit a developing country to see the impact the IKEA Foundation has on improving the lives of children through educational programs.
• More Sustainable Life at Home Ambassador program- designed to build co-worker knowledge about living a more sustainable life at home. We have nearly 200 of our co-workers Ambassadors that use $500 of IKEA products at home and shared their success, challenges and learnings.

As IKEA Canada embarks on an ambitious coast-to-coast expansion plan by doubling the number of IKEA stores in the next ten years, we will need to double the number of co-workers. It is estimated that we will need 11,000 new co-workers over the next four years over all areas of our business, from customer service to IT, to product design and development. To find an opportunity near you, stay tuned to www.IKEA.ca/careers for more information.

Additionally, IKEA Canada has also been named one of Canada's Top Employers for Young People for five years, as well as One of Canada's Greenest Employers for seven years in a row by Mediacorp.

ABOUT IKEA CANADA
IKEA is a leading home furnishing retailer with 375 stores in more than 50 countries worldwide, which are visited by 884 million people every year. IKEA Canada has 12 stores, with recently announced plans to open a 13^th store in Halifax, Nova Scotia in late 2017, an eCommerce virtual store, Pick-Up and Order Points in Quebec City, Quebec and London, Whitby and St.Catharines, Ontario with two additional Pick-Up and Order Points opening spring 2016. Last year, IKEA Canada welcomed 25 million visitors to its stores and 75 million visitors to the IKEA.ca website. 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.

About the methodology:

Working with online statistics provider Statista, Forbes asked more than 8,000 Canadian workers to determine, on a scale of zero to 10, how likely they were to recommend their employer to someone else. Further, how did they feel about the other employers in their industry? The resulting list including 250 employers across 25 industries- ranging from corporate giants to community-based financial institutions to universities and government agencies- where employees feel right at home at the office. View the full list at http://www.forbes.com/canada-best-employers/list

SOURCE IKEA Canada

Stephanie Kerr, Corporate Press Officer, [email protected], 905-637-9440 x6378