FEDERAL CUSTOMS SERVICE INITIATED A CASE AGAINST IKEA FOR 1 BILLION RUBLES

The Federal Customs Service initiated a case against the Russian division of IKEA company. The Swedish furniture seller is accused of understating licensing fees and providing false information about the price of goods. The total amount of the alleged underpayment reached 1 billion rubles.

The FCS did not disclose the essence of the claims, citing a commercial secret, reports Interfax. At the same time, the retailer's press service confirmed the receipt of the customs inspection certificate, but expressed disagreement with it.

The company has already submitted its objections to the charges expressed by the Federal Customs Service and is currently waiting for a response from the government agency.

The Russian market is one of the ten largest for the Swedish brand; there are 24 chain stores operating in the country. For ten years now, IKEA has not opened new retail outlets in Russia in its classic format. Instead of it, the retailer has gone over to renovation and has launched several design studios and small stores in recent years.

Last year,, on the one hand, showed a 30% decrease in the demand for visiting outlets due to the pandemic and the lockdown. However, at the same time, the online sales turnover increased from 12% to 20%, which, however, was noted by many retailers.