Japan was the first country that IKEA entered outside of Europe beginning in 1970s (Stolba, 2009). The difference between its European culture and the Japanese culture made business impossible for IKEA whose core of business was centered on its Swedish culture. Learning from previous experience, IKEA returned to Japan and spent five years learning Japanese culture and visiting homes. IKEA adapted its strategy to include aspects of Japanese culture and lifestyle, and that has contributed to its success. By 2009, it had six stores around the country of Japan since its re-entry in 2001.
A: Kamprad, IKEA founder, although his company is making billion dollars in revenue, did not make a good decision to go to China in his own intuition rather than market research. Perhaps, his decision did not pay off. The company should have entered China with a better adaptation plan and strategy for challenges that the company faces including branding and competition factor had it conducted a market research before putting up stores in China (Sousa & Bradley, 2006).