When consumer confidence is down our sector often feels it first. But there is still a lot of money being spent and we’re not feeling the pinch yet.

Our challenge when the market is tight is to see how we can get more market share – to make sure they spend what they have at Ikea.

Christmas is obviously not crazy busy for us, but we are still getting 4,000 people through the door every day. Footfall has been driven by the new range of 20 per cent-off deals. We’re offering the discount on our best-selling sofa ranges, mattresses and appliances.

Behind the scenes, we’re busy with next year. We’ve got some big changes planned for the showroom. We’re getting a new Ikea Direct section and making space for more roomsets. It all takes place in February and we have to work hard to make sure that they go ahead with minimum impact.

It’s a time-consuming process involving a lot of research. We have to think about not only today’s customers, but what future customers will want. These changes should stay in place for two to three years, with minor modifications along the way, so we need to do as much as possible in the planning stages.

Back to the shopfloor and the Sale starts on December 20. Winter Sales are traditional in the UK and always create lots of excitement. It is a lot of work to organise and, as with everything, it’s not something you can switch on in five minutes. It will run well into the new year, with just a short Christmas for us when we close on December 24 and 25.

Mike King, Ikea, Manchester

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