IKEA-Business-Strategy-and-Competitive-AdvantageIKEA business strategy is built upon the IKEA concept. The IKEA Concept starts with the idea of providing a range of home furnishing products that are affordable to the many people, not just the few. It is achieved by combining function, quality, design and value – always with sustainability in mind. The IKEA Concept exists in every part of the company, from design, sourcing, packing and distributing through to business model.[1]     The following points constitute integral elements of IKEA business strategy. 1. Offering the lowest prices. Cost effectiveness is one of the solid bases of IKEA competitive advantage. The global furniture retailer is able to offer low prices thanks to a combination of economies of scale and technological integration into various business processes. 2. Increasing variety of products. Great range of products also belongs to the list of IKEA competitive advantages. There are 12000 products across in IKEA portfolio and the company renews its product range launching approximately 2000 new products every year.[2] The company is also increasing its presence in food and catering industries. 3. International market expansion strategy. The home improvement and furnishing chain has traditionally engaged in new market development in an aggressive manner. IKEA has11 franchisees operating in more than 500 locations in 63 countries.[3] Furthermore, The Swedish furniture chain has long-term plans to establish its firm presence in many developing countries. 4. Benefiting from strategic alliances. The global furniture retailer benefits from strategic alliances to a maximum extent. The formation of strategic alliances is placed at the core of IKEA business strategy. The list of the most successful collaborations include partnership with Apple to explore the possibilities of Augmented Realityas a tool for home-furnishing, partnership with LEGO for new product development and partnership with Adidas in knowledge sharing about customer behaviour. Experience and competency…