Advertisement

Ikea offices raided by Russian investigators

AFP/The Local
AFP/The Local - [email protected]
Ikea offices raided by Russian investigators
Ikea Russia head Per Kaufmann outside a store in Moscow. Photo: TT

Russian investigators on Friday searched offices belonging to an Ikea subsidiary on the outskirts of Moscow, a spokeswoman for the Swedish group said, adding it was cooperating with the authorities.

Advertisement

"We have a search of documents going on in Khimki Business Park" north of Moscow, a spokeswoman, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP.

The facility is a real estate subsidiary of the Ikea Group.

"We are cooperating with the representatives of the authorities," she said. "This has nothing to do with the store."

Spokeswoman Tatyana Rusakova told the TASS news agency that "the investigation is being carried out as part of a case about a piece of land belonging to Ikea".

TASS reported that the investigation dated back to 2012.

Ikea has 14 branches in Russia which have proved a hit with the upwardly-mobile middle classes keen to upgrade their Soviet-era furniture.

The Swedish flatpack giant reported "strong growth" in Russia in the 2012-2013 fiscal year. Russian sales in 2013 went up 18 percent, TASS reported.

A Russian court in 2012 convicted a Turkish national of helping a Swedish executive at Ikea to extort a bribe.

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also