It seems that Kunming in the southwest corner of China is the world capital of knock-off shops.
Apple recently found five counterfeit versions of its stores there after blogger BirdAbroad posted photos of one online – and now a fake Ikea has surfaced.
It’s called 11 Furniture and is a 10,000 square metre, four-storey replica that’s virtually identical to the Swedish-made version.
It copies Ikea’s blue-and-yellow colour scheme, mock-up rooms, miniature pencils, signage and even its rocking chair designs. Its cafeteria-style restaurant, complete with minimalist wooden tables, has a familiar look, although the menu features Chinese-style braised minced pork and eggs instead of Ikea’s Swedish meatballs and salmon.
This knock-off Ikea store is emblematic of a new wave of piracy sweeping through China. Increasingly sophisticated counterfeiters no longer just pump out fake luxury handbags, DVDs and sports shoes but replicate the look, feel and service of successful Western retail concepts — in essence, pirating the entire brand experience.
‘This is a new phenomenon,’ said Adam Xu, retail analyst with Booz&Co. ‘Typically there are a lot of fake products, now we see more fakes in the service aspect in terms of (faking) the retail formats.’
via First there was fake Apple stores in China now fake Ikea shop found in Kunming | Mail Online.
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