Swedish furniture and homeware giant Ikea have announced Jesper Brodin as its new chief executive.
Mr Brodin currently heads Ikea in Sweden, and is set to take over the role from current head Peter Agnefjall in September.
Peter Agnefjall has been chief executive of the company for the last four years, and has been credited with having successfully overseen expansion into several new markets.
“I believe we have many exciting years ahead and I am excited to be part of the rapid transformation of retail,” said Mr Brodin.
“I am very honoured and excited about my new assignment,” he continued.
Lars-Johan Jarnheimer, chairman of Ikea’s parent company Ingka Holding, said: “I am convinced that Jesper’s extensive experience and passion for life at home and retailing will enable him to successfully continue the remarkable work conducted by Peter.
“Under Peter’s leadership, Ikea Group has expanded into new and crucial markets, accelerated our retail transformation in order to meet the changing needs of customers and taken our sustainability commitments further.”
Ikea recently announced it is set to create 1,300 jobs in the UK by next year. The retailer is to add three new locations in Sheffield, Exeter and Greenwich, on top of its current 19 stores in the UK.
In spite of added pressure on retail in recent years, UK boss Drakeford remained optimistic of promise in the U.K. He commented: “We believe there is a lot of opportunity in the UK … yes, absolutely, there will be more stores. We will continue to invest.”
Once completed, the Swedish company will have a total of 11,700 employees in the UK. It has been confirmed that staff in the U.K will continue to earn the current real living wage, which stands at £9.75 per hour in the capital and £8.45 in other parts of the UK.
Ikea is also looking to further its expansion into China, US and India in the coming years.