The "coronavirus effect" has not left Swedish home furnishings giant IKEA untouched, and the company's Israeli branches are scaling back their hours in response to the public's changed shopping habits.
CEO of IKEA Israel Shuki Koblenz and the chairman of the company's Israeli union have sent a joint letter to the company's local employees, saying that "Recently, we have been busy trying to study the new shopping habits and understand their effect on retail in general and us in particular.
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"The changes in retail consumption habits and the uncertainty that comes along with this time demand that we take initiatives and re-think some aspects of how we work, the hours and days we are open, and more."
Employees were informed that the company in Israel has noted two main changes in the public's shopping habits: "One, a focus on 'need-based' purchasing and less shopping, and the second, changes to the 'consumption hours' in various markets, which are being seen in a significant drop in shopping during the evening and at night."
Given these insights, IKEA Israel has announced a change in its hours, effective July 1. The stores will operate from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday through Wednesday; from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursday; and on Fridays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Stores will be closed on Saturday evenings.
Koblenz said that the decision would affect both employees and managers of IKEA Israel and said that in recent weeks, the company union and its management had been holding "intensive consultations" to find solutions for every employee and bring more employees back to work. IKEA workers currently furloughed will have their unpaid leave extended until the end of August, he said.
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