Ikea Canada leaning on automation as it overhauls fulfilment network: new CEO
BNN Bloomberg
When people north of Toronto visit Ikea's store in Vaughan, Selwyn Crittendon says it will be hard to tell there's a transformation underway in the bowels of the building, away from the maze-like aisles leading customers through the showroom.
It's in those hidden spaces that the Swedish home goods and furniture retailer is installing dedicated loading bays so staff don't have to wheel orders out a side door and lift them onto trucks, said Ikea Canada's chief executive officer and chief sustainability officer.
"From a consumer perspective, you won't notice so much of the change," said Crittendon, who has spent roughly three months on the job he took after about 20 years at Ikea U.S.
But his hope is that shoppers and staff eventually notice the effects of the invisible changes as orders arrive faster and take much less grunt work.
