There seems little logic in the country pricing. Germany tends to be cheapest. But France is often stupidly most expensive. But it is very much item dependent. There were a few random items (beds and rugs) that were cheapest of all in CH.
I actually came away with a very positive view on Ikea in CH. Like H&M, it did not seem to be a total rip off (in comparison to e.g. make-up and toiletries being 3 times as expensive in CH as in Germany).
You can easily buy stuff in Germany, get the 19% tax back and pay the 8% Swiss tax, and there is an easy 11% saving.
Look at Conforama and TopTip in Switzerland, they also have cheap furniture, but not of the same quality in my opinion.
For example, how much of the fixed cost in product margin calculations in CH is due to labour costs??
Excuse me but the Swiss National Bank has held the CHF/euro rate @ exactly 1.2 for exactly 12 months.
Maybe Ikea print their catalogues 2 years ahead?
I agree so I only go once per month to save CHF200+ per trip.
Tom
People buy it because they are familiar with the product, it isn't all cheap quality wise (the PAX wardrobes are the best deal out there, imo) and they have everything. They also have really good products for planning things at home (the PAX planner, Besta, etc.). Where we lived in Germany we had an IKEA 5 minutes away and it was great for finding storage boxes and the like. And don't forget, the free childcare
6.50GBP compared to 55 chf here
Prices can be fixed one or 2 years in advance in a variety of currencies and currencies fluctuate (this is in general, not just for Ikea)
Cost of running a business here is much higher than in Euro land (or the UK) - salaries, rents, transport within the country etc.
Economies of scale: Switzerland is a tiny market, the cost of running an average size Ikea store here could be 30% higher than in the UK or Germany but sales could be 50% lower.
Switzerland is not in the EU so everything has to be imported.
Less competition in Switzerland mainly because the market here is so tiny.
Salaries for consumers are much higher here in Switzerland so trade is less price sensitive.
At the end of the day, the value of something is only what someone is willing to pay. If Ikea was too expensive here they would soon go out of business.
If you don't believe me, start your own business importing and retailing goods from the EU. You'll soon learn why prices here are higher!
I do love Ikea for two things though; the textiles as I love, love, LOVE the fabrics and the curtains on the cheap that, even though I have to hem the buggers, are functional and sturdy, the food shop and meatballs. As I recall, Zurich wasn't too out of bounds price-wise with either of the two above, but I did have to giggle that Ikea was required to do meatballs with swiss meat just for Swtizerland.
Don't believe their online inventory thingymajigy though. I drove down to the local Ikea yesterday to get some curtains that the website said were in stock...only to get there to find 1 pair in the whole store when I needed 5. That's the problem with being the only Ikea at the confluence of University central at the beginning of the fall term...kids descend upon them like locusts and leave nothing behind.