Ikea ending 70-year print run of catalog

Ikea will stop publishing the digital and print editions of its annual catalog, the company said Monday.

The company pointed to a decline in readership in a statement posted on its website announcing the end of the yearly furniture and home goods ad publication that ran for seven decades.

“For both customers and co-workers, the IKEA Catalog is a publication that brings a lot of emotions, memories and joy. For 70 years it has been one of our most unique and iconic products, which has inspired billions of people across the world. Turning the page with our beloved catalog is in fact a natural process since media consumption and customer behaviors have changed. In order to reach and interact with the many people, we will keep inspiring with our home furnishing solutions in new ways,” said a company spokesperson.

Ikea’s spokesperson went on to add that the company would explore different avenues of educating consumers about their wide array of products. Ikea stores, of which there are 50 across the U.S., are sprawling complexes that sell everything from furniture to some grocery items.

“We are not starting from scratch. We have been transforming many aspects of how to reach and interact with our customers, and the work continues to find new ways to amplify unique IKEA home furnishing knowledge, products and solutions in the best possible way — to inspire the many people through new ways, channels and formats,” said the spokesperson.

Partly contributing to the company’s decision to shift away from its print publication is its increasing success in online sales; the company saw revenue from such purchases grow 45 percent last year, according to the press release Monday.

The first Ikea catalog was distributed in southern Sweden by Ikea’s founder, Ingvar Kamprad, in 1951 and totaled 68 pages of Ikea products.