As of April 29th, the IKEA Lotus Collection Café opened up in Tokyo as a new place for people to lounge on its home furnishings and dine on IKEA food, like Swedish meatballs.
The cute café is set up like an Asian resort, promoting IKEA's latest collection, inspired by Southeast Asia. The inside of the eatery goes beyond just kitchen and dining-related furniture, even including a full-size bed, perhaps if you find yourself in a food coma. Everything in the cafe-showroom is for sale, giving guests the perfect chance to "try before you buy" from the Lotus collection.
The café will only be open for a short period of time and after May 6th, the eatery will return to calling itself the HOME dining café & gallery.
Furniture Store Cafes
Tokyo's IKEA Lotus Collection Cafe is a New Place to Eat IKEA Food
Trend Themes
1. Furniture Store Cafes - Opportunity for furniture stores to create unique dining experiences for customers.
2. Try Before You Buy - Opportunity for retailers to offer customers the chance to test products before making a purchase.
3. Café-showrooms - Opportunity for businesses to combine the functionality of a cafe with the showroom concept, allowing customers to interact with products while enjoying a meal.
Industry Implications
1. Furniture Retail - Furniture retailers can explore the concept of incorporating cafes or dining spaces within their stores.
2. Retail - Retailers from different industries can consider setting up cafe-showrooms, enhancing the customer experience.
3. Hospitality - Hotels and resorts can experiment with creating unique dining spaces that showcase their interior design and furniture offerings.