IKEA Removes Images of Women from Saudi Arabian Catalog
IKEA recently made a decision regarding its catalog which it now regrets - putting image of women in its Saudi Arabia catalog edition.
The Swedish furniture retailer has now taken out the images of women that were put in its Saudi Arabian catalog.
A comparison of different versions of the catalog was made by Metro, a Swedish news organization, and showed an obvious difference with a lack of women in the Saudi Arabia mailer.
The Muslim country has strict laws surrounding women's rights, such as how they dress and travel.
The decision was made by IKEA Group, a separate branch of the organization responsible for the catalog's distribution. The company regrets the choice as they claim it clashes with their core values. In a statement by the company they express their "support the fundamental human rights of all people" and "do not accept any kind of discrimination."
The Saudi Aria store is reportedly not within IKEA Group as it's managed by a franchisee.
"As a producer of the catalog, we regret the current situation," IKEA Group commented. "We should have reacted to the exclusion of women from the Saudi Arabian version of the catalog since it does not align with the IKEA Group values."
They continued stating: "We are now reviewing our routines to safeguard a correct content presentation from a values point of view in the different versions of the IKEA Catalogue worldwide."
The company has built its values as a guide for dealing with the changing world. The company's annual report for 2011 states: "We've been very fortunate to share experiences and learn from people of many countries, cultures and backgrounds."
The report follows saying: "We continue to grow and develop with co-workers, customers, suppliers and partners in 41 countries. And everyone can see our Swedish roots -- but they can hear the accent of each of these countries too."
