Ikea, known for selling affordable, ready-to-assemble furniture, may soon enter a new business: collecting rent. The Swedish housewares giant is testing a new service that will let customers rent its furniture, allowing them to temporarily use items that would cost more to buy.
Ikea is borrowing from other industries in experimenting with that approach. In the apparel business, for instance, services like Rent the Runway and womenswear brand Ann Taylor have had success renting dresses and accessories. But Ikea’s size and influence as a retailer could produce a seismic shift away from owning desks, chairs, kitchen cabinets and a range of other products for the home.
The new service will be piloted in Switzerland as early as this month.
