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Retail News Asia is committed to providing both local and global retailers with the latest Living news throughout the Asian market. This on a daily base.

  • Solar power boom poses a distribution challenge

    Solar power boom poses a distribution challenge

    The increasing solar power capacity has made it difficult for national utility Vietnam Electricity (EVN) to ensure stable power distribution nationwide.

    The nature of solar power capacity, which accounts for 25 percent of the total, is to produce high volumes during the day and no production in the evening. This poses difficulties for EVN in operating the national grid, the national utility has said in a report.

    There have been times when the grid was oversupplied during the low-demand hours between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. when solar radiation is at peak, the report says.

    On the contrary, when power demand is at the highest, the 5:30-6:30 p.m. period, solar power production falls to nearly zero and the traditional power generators have to be mobilized.

    “The ratio of renewable power generation is increasing and with it comes instability in operation,” the report says.

    Vietnam’s solar power capacity was roughly 16,500 megawatt by the end of last year, nearly 48 percent of it coming from rooftop panels and the rest from plants.

    Solar power production reached 10.6 billion kilowatt-hours last year, accounting for 4.3 percent of total.

    There was a surge in the number of solar power projects after the government offered an incentive feed-in tariff scheme to promote renewable energy production to meet rising demand in a fast-growing economy.

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  • Electrical equipment maker to hike capital to fund wind power

    Electrical equipment maker to hike capital to fund wind power

    Shareholders of electrical equipment producer Gelex have green-lighted an 81 percent increase in its capital to VND7.8 trillion ($338 million) to fund wind power plants and hotels.

    The Hanoi-based company, known for its electric cable brand Cadivi, will issue nearly 293 million shares to existing shareholders early next year at a rate of six new shares for every 10 held.

    The issue will be priced at VND12,000, nearly 50 percent lower than the closing price on Wednesday.

    The company said it hopes to raise VND3.5 trillion from the issuance, of which it plans to spend two-thirds on building several wind power plants in the central province of Quang Tri and a mixed-use commercial building in Hanoi in 2023.

    The rest of the money will be used on bolster working capital.

    Gelex forecasts pre-tax profits to fall by 10 percent this year to VND975 billion.

  • Government discontinues discount on car registration fees

    Government discontinues discount on car registration fees

    The government believes domestic car producers have received enough support from the discount scheme, and so will not extend it.

    The 50 percent discount scheme on the registration fees of cars produced domestically, which came into effect on June 28 this year, will not be continued, and will terminate on Thursday as planned, a leader of the Ministry of Finance’s Tax Policy Department said.

    According to the ministry, the 50 percent discount on car registration fees had only been a short-term solution, solving difficulties for domestic automobile manufacturing and assembling enterprises facing impacts of the epidemic.

    This policy has cost the state budget an estimated VND3.7 trillion ($160.56 million) in revenue, while embassies of car manufacturing countries such as Indonesia and Thailand, as well as the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam have approached the MoF to complain about discrimination between imported and domestically produced vehicles, the ministry said.

    Meanwhile, fees and charges continuing to receive discounts include those in the fields of citizenship registration, road maintenance, food safety, project appraisal, healthcare, and securities trading.

    The MoF said that the above policies have cost the state budget an estimated VND1 trillion this year.

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  • Abbott accelerates healthcare transformation in Vietnam

    Abbott accelerates healthcare transformation in Vietnam

    A conference will be held in Hanoi this month to accelerate digital transformation in the health sector, using technological achievements to raise the quality of treatments as Vietnam seeks to expand its remote healthcare network nationwide.

    Overview and approaches of the sector’s digital transformation will be high on the agenda of eHealth Vietnam Summit 2020, to be held by the Health Ministry on December 29-30, organizers stated on the event website.

    Remote healthcare consultation and support has become critically important this year when travel is restricted and hospitals face huge challenges due to Covid-19.

    Vietnam, which has been praised by the international community for its success in containing the outbreaks, has established Telehealth, a network aimed to connect some 14,000 health facilities nationwide and link them with other countries in the medical field, part of the nation’s digital transformation program towards 2025, with a vision to 2030.

    The network will allow people nationwide to access medical services, receive consultation and treatment by doctors from higher-level hospitals remotely, thus reducing patient congestion at central hospitals, said a report shared on the Ministry of Health website in September. By late September 2020, the network had connected 1,000 medical examination and treatment facilities with nearly 30 key hospitals in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, the ministry stated. In late November, it required all hospitals in the country to connect to the network for treatment, practice sharing, and learning.

    Amid the country’s drive for digital transformation this year, Abbott, the Chicago-based company on the forefront of innovation for more than 130 years, has continuously brought life-changing technologies and breakthroughs in diagnostics, medical devices, medicine and nutrition to Vietnam. This demonstrates the company’s long-standing commitment as a strategic partner to shape the future of healthcare in Vietnam and the region.

    In order to boost speed, efficiency and accuracy in patient diagnosis and treatment, Abbott has brought in Alinity, a family of systems that reinvents the way diagnostic laboratories work by simplifying diagnosis.

    Alinity, derived from Alignment, Innovation and Unity, has been made available in 18 hospitals and six blood banks including Medic, Cho Ray Hospital, Tu Du Hospital, Hung Vuong Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City Medical University Hospital, Danang General Hospital, DIAG, Hanoi Medical University Hospital and the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion.

    In 2020, Abbott introduced Alinity m, its latest new-generation platform, fully integrated and automated molecular diagnostics analyzer that uses innovative technology to deliver greater flexibility and efficiency. The platform is now available in hospitals and healthcare facilities including Military Hospital 108, Medic, Medlatec, Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi as well as Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City.

    Vietnam’s health facilities are utilizing Abbott’s advanced technology, diagnostics systems and devices, including High-Sensitivity Troponin-I Test, DBS viral loading test and first-of-its-kind, life-saving device MitraClip designed for those with common heart valve disorders.

    High-Sensitivity Troponin-I Test, also known as Hs Troponin-I test, aims to check the level of troponin, a protein found specifically in heart muscle cells. A high content of the macronutrient detected from the test provides better predictive information for determining a person’s chances of developing future heart disease when added to the current standard of care.

    The test also offers gender-specific cut-offs, allowing physicians to more accurately diagnose myocardial infarction, commonly known as heart attacks, in women. A study published in the British Medical Journal found Abbott’s test uncovered twice as many heart attacks in women than standard troponin screening. It is exceptionally crucial for doctors to conduct early diagnosis of a heart attack to act quickly in critical moments. As in Vietnam, one out of three people suffers a heart attack each year.

    Abbott’s Hs Troponin-I test has become the first and only approved by the Health Ministry to aid cardiac risk stratification thanks to its significance and efficiency. Therefore, the test now not only serves patients facing heart disease risks but is also dedicated to better health management.

    If the Hs Troponin-I test is aimed to serve a larger community, the DBS test, known as the dried blood spot test, helps ease access to HIV viral load testing for Vietnamese in remote areas as the procedure is simple and requires no refrigeration. It uses a few blood drops dried on a filter paper before being shipped to a laboratory for analysis. The process has recently been expanded to HCV testing, and proves efficient especially in this tough time of fighting the pandemic.

    In order to advance heart and cardiovascular disease treatment, Abbott has introduced minimally invasive mitral valve repair device MitraClip, a transcatheter-based device, to help Vietnamese with common heart valve disorders. The MitraClip procedure involves doctors guiding a thin tube through a patient’s vein toward the mitral valve to help it close more efficiently without open-heart surgery, thus enabling speedy recovery.

    In October, Prix Galien USA honored Abbott’s MitraClip therapy as the Best Medical Technology for 2020. Considered as the industry’s equivalent of the Nobel Prize in biopharmaceutical and medical technology research, the award recognizes excellence in scientific innovation that improves the state of humankind. This device has transformed the lives of more than 100,000 people globally living with mitral regurgitation, or a leaky heart valve.

    After 25 years’ expansion in Vietnam, Abbott has achieved sustainable business growth, developed strong local talent and offered significant opportunities. The company has continuously offered Vietnam with breakthroughs in nutrition, medicines, diagnostics and medical devices.Glucerna, the newly enhanced reformulation designed to help people with diabetes, is the latest arrival from Abbott. The dual therapeutic benefits of Glucerna’s new formulation promote GLP-1 secretion with its unique nutrients and improves insulin sensitivity for better glycemic control.Vietnam has been one of the first countries where Abbott’s nutrition business has launched breakthrough products, such as Similac Eye-Q Plus with HMO that nurtures stronger immunity and brain development among babies; PediaSure MRI with Arginine and natural Vitamin K2 that help children reach their optimal growth and potential; Ensure Gold with special nutritional ingredient HMB, protein, calcium, vitamins and nutrients to help the elderly overcome the loss of muscle strength.

    Besides, Abbott has also introduced Surbex Natural Lingzhi, another science-based health supporting product available in capsules that boost immunity, enhance liver function and overall body resistance.

    Last month, Abbott again made No.1 in Pharma/Medical Equipment/Healthcare for the seventh consecutive year in the list of “Vietnam Best Places to Work 2020.” Its recognition in Vietnam affirms Abbott’s leadership in the healthcare industry, having created an innovative and winning culture that empowers employees to reach their full potential.

    Abbott and its foundation, Abbott Fund, have provided more than VND250 billion ($10.5 million) in grants and product donations to address critical health issues, focused on removing barriers preventing Vietnamese from living healthy lives, and strengthening the country’s health sector.

  • Thai occupancy rates holding up despite Covid-19 crunch

    Thai occupancy rates holding up despite Covid-19 crunch

    Thailand’s Accommodation Occupancy Rate (AOR): Whole Kingdom data was reported at 30.400 % in Oct 2020. This records an increase from the previous number of 27.930 % for Sep 2020. Thailand’s Accommodation Occupancy Rate (AOR): Whole Kingdom data is updated monthly, averaging 66.030 % from Jan 2015 to Oct 2020, with 70 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 81.260 % in Jan 2019 and a record low of 2.260 % in Apr 2020.

    Thailand’s Accommodation Occupancy Rate (AOR): Whole Kingdom data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Bank of Thailand. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Thailand – Table TH.Q004: Hotel Occupancy Rate and Average Room Rate (Monthly).

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  • Vietnam child labor rate lower than regional average

    Vietnam child labor rate lower than regional average

    Vietnam’s rate of child labor, 5.3 percent, is around 2 percentage points lower than the average in Asia and the Pacific, a study has found.

    This equates to more than one million children in the ages of 5-17 engaged in labor, the survey was done in 2018 by the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, the General Statistics Office, and the International Labour Organization and released recently, said.

    They undertake work that is prohibited because of their age, the number of working hours or the nature of the tasks involved.

    In line with global trends, 84 percent of child laborers in Vietnam are in rural areas, over half working in agriculture, forestry or fisheries.

    Other sectors where child labor is prevalent include services, industry, and construction. More than 40 percent are unpaid.

    “Child labor tends to take place in informal household enterprises down the manufacturing and production supply chains, which makes it difficult to detect,” ILO Vietnam director Chang Hee Lee said.

    The survey estimates that nearly 520,000 children in Vietnam are engaged in hazardous work or work which poses significant risks to a child’s health, safety or morals. Many of them work in industry and construction.

    The number of hours children in hazardous jobs work tends to be high, with 40.6 percent working over 40 hours a week.
    Only half of child laborers attend school, compared to the national average of 94.4 percent.

    Efforts must be speeded up immediately to end child labor in all its forms, the ILO said.

  • Vietnam gives second electricity discount as Covid-19 relief

    Vietnam gives second electricity discount as Covid-19 relief

    The government has cut electricity prices by 10 percent for the year’s last quarter to support economic recovery from Covid-19 impacts.

    The discount applies to businesses and households for a maximum of 300-kilowatt-hour consumption per month from October to December. Consumption above this limit will attract normal prices.

    Covid-19 quarantine centers will get a 100 percent discount on their electricity bills, while medical facilities that test and treat Covid-19 patients can enjoy getting a 20 percent discount.

    The government had already given a 10 percent discount in the second quarter, which was estimated to cost the state coffers nearly VND11 trillion ($476 million).

    The discounts came as Vietnam’s economy was badly hurt by the Covid-19 pandemic, with key sectors posted drastically reduced or even negative growth.

    In the first nine months, 31.8 million workers were affected by the pandemic, losing their jobs or having their working hours reduced, according to the General Statistics Office.

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  • China’s domestic luxury market almost doubled in 2020

    China’s domestic luxury market almost doubled in 2020

    Growth for the mainland Chinese luxury market is expected to climb by 48 percent to reach almost 346 billion yuan (around $52 billion) by the end of the year, according to Bain’s annual China luxury report released today in partnership with Tmall Luxury Division.

    This meteoric growth, driven in part by the repatriation of luxury spending and acceleration of e-commerce adoption as a result of Covid-19 and international travel restrictions, is forecasted to continue through 2025. It stands in stark contrast with the global luxury market, which the report estimates shrank by 23 percent this year due to store closures and low demand.

    To be sure, growth hasn’t occurred evenly. China’s north and northeast regions underperformed in contrast to the south, east and southwest; categories like leather goods and jewellery led the way, followed by ready-to-wear clothing and shoes, beauty and timepieces. It’s also worth noting that repatriation has only managed to offset around half of the heavy losses luxury brands are feeling in Europe and elsewhere; tourist consumption, which has fallen by an estimated 70 percent is far from fully recovered.

    Bain predicts that where global conditions are unlikely to fully recover in the next year or even two, Chinese shoppers will remain cautious about travel for at least a year, making domestic destinations like Hainan key touchpoints for brands. It also noted that shoppers from or younger than the Post-’80s generation continue to drive growth and that online shopping habits adopted mid and post-pandemic are here to stay.

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  • Foreign firms intent on stronger foothold in Vietnam’s pharma industry

    Foreign firms intent on stronger foothold in Vietnam’s pharma industry

    Foreign firms are pouring increasing sums of money into acquiring stakes in Vietnamese pharmaceutical firms, targeting larger market shares in a thriving industry. Dutch firm Stada Service Holding B.V. last month obtained permission from Vietnam’s Pymepharco to increase its ownership in the Phu Yen Province-based company to 100 percent.

    Stada had increased its stake in Pymepharco by six percent to nearly 76 percent last week. The deal is estimated at around VND380 billion ($16.4 million), based on closing stock price on December 11. In September, Hanoi-based Hataphar issued an additional 5.28 million shares, or 20 percent of its charter capital, to Japan’s ASKA Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. The deal was valued at VND370 billion.

    Earlier last year, Japan’s Taisho Pharmaceutical took a controlling share of over 51 percent in the DHG Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company, the biggest pharmaceutical firm in the Mekong Delta region.

    In December 2017, CFR International SpA, a subsidiary of U.S.-based medical corporation Abbott Laboratories, transferred all of its 51.69 percent stake in Domesco Medical Import Export JS Corp, based in the southern province of Dong Thap, to another Abbott subsidiary in a transaction valued at around VND2.3 trillion ($99.5 million).

    Vietnam’s rapidly growing pharmaceutical industry has been a magnet for foreign firms. The industry is set to record double-digit growth in the 2020-2025 period and is set to reach a value of $7.7 billion next year, according to a report by brokerage Yuanta Vietnam.

    There is a rising demand for healthcare products and services, and with domestic production unable to meet it, Vietnam imported $3 billion worth of medicines last year. This figure is set to reach $4.35 billion this year, the report said.

    Foreign firms are therefore keen on pouring cash into companies with growth potential, like DHG, which ranks fourth in market share behind three multinational pharma giants.

    Analysts of RongViet Securities Corporation said that their strategy is to help Vietnamese companies increase their manufacturing standards and eventually take over instead of establishing its own business and build a factory.

    CFR International SpA, a leading pharmaceutical firm in Chile, was the first strategic partner in local firm Domesco and was assisting the Vietnamese company in research and development, technology transfer, businesses consultancy and supply chain management before securing a controlling stake in it.

    Ly Thi Hien, lead analyst at Yuanta Vietnam, said the pharmaceutical industry is one that requires years of investment to build up a brand and acquire a decent market share. Domestic firms with relatively shallow pockets find it difficult to spend money on researching and developing new medicines, creating an opening for foreign firms.

    To develop further, domestic firms need to take advantage of the exclusive formulas and scientific achievements of foreign pharma giants, she added.

    Industry insiders say that partnerships with foreign companies has brought both short-term and long-term benefits.

    Le Xuan Thang, CEO of Hataphar, said that establishing a partnership with ASKA meant that the company has VND370 billion to build a new factory. It also receives consultancy services from the Japanese company on building that factory with advanced technology.

    Meanwhile, DHG, thanks to its partnership with Japan’s Taisho, was able to acquire international certification in less than two years for its effervescent tablet production chain and another Japanese certificate for its antibiotics chain.

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  • Hotels continue to suffer Covid-19 impacts

    Hotels continue to suffer Covid-19 impacts

    Vietnam’s third Covid-19 outbreak last month has exacerbated the problems of low occupancy and plunging revenues for hotels and resorts nationwide.

    Average daily rates in October slumped 25 percent year-on-year, said Mauro Gasparotti, director of real estate consultancy Savills Hotels Asia Pacific.

    In HCMC, occupancy has hovered under 20 percent since the April lockdown, compared to 72 percent during the same period last year.

    The latest outbreak in HCMC last month followed the second one that hit July and August with hundreds of cases, all linked to Da Nang City, which badly affected the high season for the hospitality industry, Gasparotti said.

    Savills data shows that overall, the resort market is barely crossing the 25 percent occupancy mark, except for some located in drive-to destinations where it is 10 to 15 percentage points higher than the national average.

    “The market is in a slow recovery. Even though local demand has delivered a strong rebound, it has not proven steady enough to support hotel and resort performances.”

    While expectations for 2021 are positive, they are mainly focused on the third and fourth quarter when it is anticipated that travel restrictions will be eased and corporate guests and independent travellers from neighbouring counties will be able to return, partially supporting recovery of the hotel and resort market, he added.

    In the first 11 months of this year, foreign arrivals hit 3.8 million, down 76.7 percent year-on-year, according to the General Statistics Office.

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  • Temasek Bolsters Sustainability with Ikea Hire

    Temasek Bolsters Sustainability with Ikea Hire

    Temasek names a new former head of sustainability from Ikea to replace Robin Hu, who will we leaving the role by the end of 2020.

    Temasek’s current sustainability head Hu will have some of his key function’s taken over by ex-Ikea chief sustainability officer Steve Howard, according to an effective as of January 1 next year.

    Hu will remain with Temasek and the senior leadership while transitioning to another role.

    He first joined the state investor in December 2016 and is currently a senior managing director. During his time with Temasek, his role encompassed the oversight of public affairs, institutional relations, foundations and endowments, and its sustainability policy alongside directorship at some of the firm’s portfolio companies.

    Previously, he was the CEO of Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post under the former owner and Malaysian billionaire Robert Kuok.

    At Temasek, its sustainability goals include a strong focus on carbon emissions where it targets halving in its portfolio by 2030 and full reduction by 2050. This target covers only the firm’s own operations and purchased energy while excluding the broader effects of the related supply chain.

    At Ikea, Howard spearheaded its sustainability efforts until 2017 and is also the co-founder of We Mean Business, a unit of firms and advocacy groups aiming to cut corporate carbon emissions.

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  • WhatsApp launches Carts for small businesses to sell in app, online

    WhatsApp launches Carts for small businesses to sell in app, online

    WhatsApp has added a feature called Carts to its business app, offering a more “seamless and intuitive” shopping experience on the chat program.

    The Carts feature will allow customers to quickly add goods or services they want from a business’ catalog, and then send the order as one message to the business. WhatsApp says this makes it easier for customers to order products and for businesses to keep track of order inquiries.

    Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, a significant number of small businesses in Hong Kong and Singapore have moved their focus to digital tools like WhatsApp Business to keep close connections and high interactivity with their customers.

    The app has turned into a potential channel for brands as about 175 million people around the world message a WhatsApp Business account every day. This trend in conversational commerce is rising across many industries – from fashion and beauty, to food and beverage, and even home and living.

  • Amazon looking at $100 million investment in India’s Apollo Pharmacy

    Amazon looking at $100 million investment in India’s Apollo Pharmacy

    Amazon.com Inc is considering a nearly $100 million investment in India’s pharmacy chain Apollo Pharmacy, facing up to Reliance Industries Ltd and Tata Group in the country’s fast-growing drug market, the Economic Times reported on Wednesday, citing two people aware of the plans.

    Amazon already delivers medicines in India and the potential investment would come amid rising competition from Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance, which bought a majority stake in online pharmacy Netmeds.

    Tata Group here, meanwhile, was reportedly in talks to pick up a majority stake in e-pharmacy firm 1mg.

    Both Amazon and Apollo Hospitals, which owns Apollo Pharmacy, declined to comment.

    The growth of e-pharmacies, however, has left many Indian trader groups feeling threatened, who say online drugstores can contribute to medicine sales without proper verification and the entry of large players can cause unemployment in the sector.

    Amazon’s plan to further expand in India also comes close on the heels of its launch of an online pharmacy to deliver prescription drugs in the United States, increasing competition with drug retailers such as Walgreens, CVS Health and Walmart.

  • Vietnam to purchase more power from Laos

    Vietnam to purchase more power from Laos

    National utility Vietnam Electricity (EVN) has signed three memoranda to purchase power from Laotian companies amid expected energy shortages.

    EVN will buy power from two hydropower plants and one coal-fired power plant in neighboring country Laos starting 2024, according to the memorandums of understanding signed Sunday.

    The 84-megawatt Nam Yeuang hydropower plant and 300-megawatt Nam Phan coal-fired thermal power plant developed by Phongsubthavy Group are set to transmit electricity to Vietnam starting 2024 and 2025.

    Another hydropower plant, Nam Neun 1, with a capacity of 124-megawatt and developed by Kong Sup Hydro Development of Nam Neun 1 and Nam Neun 3, will also start delivering power to Vietnam in those two years.

    EVN in January signed five deals with two Laotian companies to purchase 1.5 billion kilowatt-hours of power each year in 2021 and 2022.

    The Ministry of Industry and Trade had earlier warned of power shortages of 3.7 billion kWh in 2021 and nearly 10 billion kWh the following year, as the construction of new thermal and gas-fired plants fall behind schedule.

    2023 will be the most stressful with the shortage expected to be around 15 billion kWh. From then on, it will decrease, with shortages expected to drop to 7 billion kWh and 3.5 billion kWh in 2024 and 2025 respectively.

    The ministry stated the only way out is to import more from Laos and China, although this is only a band-aid solution. In the long run, it would be necessary to speed up work on large power generation projects, it added.

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  • Ikea sunsetting catalogue after 70 years

    Ikea sunsetting catalogue after 70 years

    After almost 70 years, Swedish furniture giant Ikea is scrapping its iconic catalog.

    The company will no longer produce print and digital versions of the book, it announced Monday.

    It’s been touted as the most widely-distributed publication in the world, and more copies of the catalog are printed each year than the Bible or Quran.

    Ikea’s decision to scrap the catalog didn’t come lightly. The company collected extensive customer feedback, it said, and decided to focus on its online store instead.

    Ikea has seen a significant shift in consumer behavior thanks to the digital boom. In 2019, its online retail sales grew 45% worldwide.

    Fewer people are using the catalog because of changing media consumption, it added.

    The company will release a book of home furnishing inspiration “as tribute” in fall 2021.

    “For 70 years it has been one of our most unique and iconic products, which has inspired billions of people across the world,” Konrad Grüss, managing director of the chain’s global franchisor Inter IKEA Systems, said.

    Ikea described the decision as “emotional but rational.”

    Perhaps surprisingly, Ikea didn’t didn’t explicitly cite its environmental credentials as a reason for the decision.

    The company has increasingly focused on sustainability as it works towards its goal of becoming carbon positive by 2030, and in November it started buying back and reselling UK customers’ used furniture to counter the mass consumption associated with Black Friday.

    This is the second time Ikea’s catalog has hit the headlines this fall.

    In October, Ikea reissued some editions of its 2021 catalog because it included an image that it admitted could reinforce racist stereotypes

    The first 68-page Ikea catalog was released in 1951 by the furniture chain’s founder Ingvar Kamprad, eight years after the company launched.

    Its print run of 285,000 copies was distributed across southern Sweden

    Fast-forward to 2016, and the catalog reached its highest print run. Around 200 million copies were distributed in 69 different versions, 32 languages, and more than 50 markets. Since 2000, Ikea has launched a full digital version of the catalog, too.

    The catalog as we now know it is a massive affair for Ikea, taking around nine months to design each year. It shoots the images in its own studios in Älmhult, Sweden, which is one of the biggest photo studios in Europe.

    The Ikea Museum, which is located in the same city, includes an exhibition on the catalog’s history.

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