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IKEA buys US logistics tech firm Locus in online growth push

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IKEA buys US logistics tech firm Locus in online growth push


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Reuters

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October 8, 2025

IKEA has acquired U.S. logistics technology firm Locus, the two companies said on Tuesday, a deal the Swedish furniture retailer said would make its deliveries to shoppers smoother and faster as it invests to expand online sales.

Reuters

The takeover is in addition to a $2.2 billion push by Ingka Group, the biggest global IKEA franchisee, in the U.S. where it competes with Wayfair and Walmart and is also contending with higher tariffs on imports that are increasing its costs.

IKEA declined to disclose the value of the deal. Locus was valued at $300 million in its most recent funding round in 2021, according to reports at the time.

IKEA said acquiring Locus would simplify its logistics and reduce its delivery expenses by an estimated 100 million euros ($117.41 million) a year globally.

Locus uses artificial intelligence to group orders and predict routes that minimize the time delivery vehicles spend in traffic, a planning process that is currently done manually by IKEA workers, Parag Parekh, chief digital officer at Ingka Group told Reuters in an interview.

Locus will also enable IKEA to offer customers more delivery windows and options, and give live updates on where their package is, as well as delivering faster, Parekh added. It will likely pilot the technology in the U.S. and UK before using it globally.

“Speed is one aspect of it, but more importantly for us, it will be the flexibility, it will be the ability to track… and more importantly, through all of this, help drive a better customer experience,” he said.

Locus’ shareholders included Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC and private equity firms Alpha Wave, Tiger Global, and Qualcomm Ventures prior to the all-share acquisition by Ingka Investments, the retailer’s investment arm.

Under the deal, Locus will operate independently and continue to work with clients beyond IKEA.

Known mostly for its bright blue big-box suburban stores showcasing sofas, beds and bookcases in a labyrinth layout, IKEA has shifted focus onto its online business over the past five years and invested in smaller city-centre stores as it targets younger and more urban shoppers.

Online sales accounted for 28% of total IKEA retail sales in its 2024 financial year, up from 11% in 2019.

The acquisition comes just a week after Ingka Investments bought a building in Manhattan for $213 million, pushing ahead with U.S. expansion despite President Donald Trump imposing higher tariffs on furniture imports.

“In terms of the macroeconomics around us … probably there’s uncertainty on the quarters ahead,” Parekh said. “But as a company we remain committed to the U.S.”

© Thomson Reuters 2025 All rights reserved.



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European Commission, Switzerland sign broad package of agreements

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European Commission, Switzerland sign broad package of agreements



European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Swiss President Guy Parmelin yesterday signed a broad package of agreements aimed at deepening and expanding European Union (EU)-Switzerland ties.

The package establishes a modern framework for both sides, enabling frictionless access to a market of 460 million consumers in key sectors, delivering economic benefits to both parties.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Swiss President Guy Parmelin yesterday signed a broad package of agreements aimed at deepening and expanding EU-Switzerland ties.
By aligning standards and rules in closely integrated areas, it will provide legal certainty, simplify trade in goods like medical devices and food products, and ease cross-border supply for businesses on both sides.

By aligning standards and rules in closely integrated areas, it will provide legal certainty, simplify trade in goods like medical devices and food products, and ease cross-border supply for businesses on both sides of the border.

Additionally, it will ensure more consistent rules for individuals who live, work or study across the EU-Swiss border. Switzerland will contribute to the development of legislation in the areas covered by the package and will have the opportunity to influence these rules as they are being designed.

“By modernising and deepening our ties across key sectors, from trade and transport to health and energy—we are strengthening legal certainty, fostering innovation and creating new opportunities for our citizens and businesses,” von der Leyen said in a release from the Commission.

The package includes updates to four already existing agreements, which already give Switzerland access to the EU internal market, regarding air transport, land transport, the free movement of persons and mutual recognition of conformity assessment.

New agreements on food safety, electricity, health and Switzerland’s participation in the EU Agency for the Space Programme were signed. A new agreement introduced a permanent and fair financial contribution by Switzerland to economic and social cohesion within the EU.

Apart from a protocol on parliamentary cooperation, the package includes also a joint declaration on the establishment of a high-level dialogue on the broad bilateral package.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)



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Iran conflict sends apparel freight rates soaring on US & EU routes

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Iran conflict sends apparel freight rates soaring on US & EU routes












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Polyester filament prices jump in India as crude spikes

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Polyester filament prices jump in India as crude spikes



Following earlier increases in purified terephthalic acid (PTA), melt and PSF, Indian producers have now raised PFY prices. POY, FDY and PTY prices have been increased by ****;* per kg across all deniers and lustres with effect from March *, reflecting rapid cost pass-through amid heightened volatility in crude-linked value chains, according to the market sources.

In the previous weekly revision effective February **, ****, PTA was increased by ****;*.** per kg to ****;**.** per kg, while monoethylene glycol (MEG) was retained at ****;**.** per kg. Polyester melt prices were raised by ****;*.** per kg to ****;**.** per kg. Downstream PSF prices were also revised upward by ****;*.** per kg from March *.



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