follow the opposite recipe to IKEA

The Danish chain JYSK has reached 172 stores in Spain and Portugal after opening 28 new ones last year, already billing 221 million euros. Their plan: reach 300 stores in the coming years.

Known as ‘the Danish IKEA’, its big difference compared to the Swedes is that IKEA opens large commercial temples that usually require specific trips as they are in very specific locations, while JYSK multiplies points of sale in medium-sized cities and provincial capitals with smaller stores.

Why is it important. JYSK has become IKEA’s great competitor in Spain without trying to imitate it. Its capillarity strategy allows it to cover areas where its rival is not present, capturing impulsive purchases and quick renovations that do not justify a trip to the outskirts of the city.

The result: it grows in billing while expanding its network at an accelerated pace.

The contrast. IKEA is a planned excursion. JYSK is a casual purchase.

• The Swedish giant is betting on a few megastores that concentrate thousands of products.
• The Dane prefers premises of 1,000-1,500 square meters that are more accessible from home.

They are opposite models that pursue the same client at different times.

Between the lines. The key is in positioning: JYSK sells “hygge“Danish —Nordic comfort—at competitive prices, but without the logistical complexity of IKEA. Reduced catalogue, without exhibition labyrinths. The customer comes in, buys and leaves.

The company has 3,500 stores around the world and aims for 5,000. On the peninsula it has invested 12 million euros to create 250 direct jobs. His recent landing in Calatayud (Aragón) is a good reflection of its strategy: it is its fourth store in the community, and it follows a pattern: strategic cities without commercial saturation.

• The opening in Almenara (Castellón) of a logistics center of 274,000 square meters, with an investment of 300 million, will supply Spain, Portugal and Morocco from 2028.
• It will be the new headquarters for the Peninsula, with 250 employees and capacity for 182,500 pallets.

Yes, but. JYSK is still far from IKEA in turnover: the Swedes earned 1,986 million in Spain last year, almost nine times more. The difference lies in the average ticket:

• IKEA dominates in large purchases (kitchens, complete bedrooms, etc.)
• JYSK is strong in partial renovations and add-ons.

The question is whether JYSK can maintain this pace without cannibalizing its own stores. Capillarity has a limit: opening too many points in nearby areas reduces profitability. At the moment it works because Spain still has untapped commercial gaps.

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Featured image | JYSK