Have you ever found yourself completely lost in the labyrinth of gigantic IKEA showrooms or identical aisles? Now, IKEA has proposed a way to solve this problem once and for all with its latest concept store, a 2 km-long linear superstore! Now, you will always know your way around the place and can even dash down the centre to complete your daily workout. The catch, however, is that it was an April Fool’s Day joke from IKEA.
The proposal for the mile-long concept store included a floor plan and concept art. The April Fool’s concept store layout requires the viewer, usually via IKEA China’s WeChat account, to turn their phone 90 degrees and swipe to see the long shop. From the entrance through to the showroom, the world-famous IKEA restaurant, the market hall and the self-service area, all the way to the bistro and Swedish food market at the end, it’s laid out in one straight line.
The concept art shows an endless row of buildings starting from the usual yellow entrance on the side of a blue warehouse-like building. IKEA claims that you can take your “storewalk” (inspired by the “citywalk” of 2024) while enjoying the Nordic designs of the furniture and homeware. Indeed, positioning the restaurant in the middle of the 2-kilometre run and the bistro at the end are masterstrokes of the concept. Or rather, it shows why they are located where they are in regular IKEA stores.
April Fool’s Day is not as widely celebrated in China as in the West. However, we are seeing increasingly more campaigns from brands and platforms. This year, we saw the “inscription” of classic Bilibili memes as intangible cultural heritage and many punny jokes about brand name changes. It is likely that brands need some light-hearted ads before the heartfelt campaigns for Qingming, the traditional Tomb-sweeping Day, to pay tribute to ancestors and loved ones who have passed.
Need to boost your China strategy? Dao Pro delivers bespoke insights on marketing, innovation, and digital trends, direct from Chinese sources. Find out more from our Dao Strategy Team here.
