IKEA made some mistakes in ots early globalization efforts, not surprising for a firm whose 160 million catalogs are printed in 25 languages. In the U.S., for example, beds didn’t match standard sheet sizes. Another flop was the six-ounce drinking glass that was far too small for American preferences. Kent Nordin, a former IKEA manager, says, “People told us they were drinking out of our vases Bedroom dressers contained numerous small drawers, a popular European feature, but they couldn’t hold Americans’ bulky sweaters. Storage units were not sized to hold standard coat hangers. Ultimately,top executives realized that telling American buyers to use smaller coat hangers wouldn’t work. Today, IKEA has adapted its products to local tastes. The firm is one of the top furnishings relailers in the United States, and 1 in 10 American homes have at least one IKEA item.