Ikea to Resume Online Rollout After Yearlong Pause

Ikea plans to extend online retailing to all its markets within the next few years as the world's largest furniture seller resumes expansion after a 12-month pause. Ikea hasn't added to the 13 countries in which it offers web shopping over the last year and still harbors an ambition to reach all 27 in which it has stores, the company said today after reporting a 3 percent gain in full-year sales. The focus over the past year has been on improving online offerings in existing markets, CEO Peter Agnefjaell said in a telephone interview.