????要規(guī)劃出一個(gè)恰到好處的購(gòu)物中心，正好位于某個(gè)合適的高速公路出口旁，與首爾的車程還不遠(yuǎn)不近，面積高達(dá)62萬(wàn)4千英尺（比一個(gè)標(biāo)準(zhǔn)沃爾瑪超市的面積大三倍多），是需要花點(diǎn)時(shí)間的。而要解決某些特定難題，比如，在韓國(guó)這樣一個(gè)孩子在家中享有充足活動(dòng)空間的國(guó)家，購(gòu)物中心的兒童區(qū)該做多大才合理，需要花更多功夫。至于如何布置一個(gè)能容納韓式泡菜冰箱這種韓國(guó)特有家電的廚房，就要花上更多時(shí)間——而要弄清這個(gè)市場(chǎng)的微妙之處，比如韓國(guó)人對(duì)金屬筷子的偏愛(ài)，則又要搭上更多時(shí)間。

????總而言之，從宜家公司首次考察韓國(guó)市場(chǎng)，到在光明市開設(shè)第一家韓國(guó)分店，花了約整整六年時(shí)間。去年12月，宜家用植樹而非剪彩來(lái)慶祝這家店開業(yè)（沿用了宜家傳統(tǒng)，而不是韓國(guó)習(xí)俗）。

????這種緩慢是典型的宜家風(fēng)格。零售咨詢公司Kantar Retail的戴維?馬科特說(shuō)：“擴(kuò)張?zhí)鞎?huì)讓他們抓狂的?！钡劣谝陠?？宜家亞太區(qū)區(qū)域零售經(jīng)理米卡埃爾?帕姆奎斯特表示：“公司越是全球化，業(yè)務(wù)擴(kuò)張就越復(fù)雜。我們必須行事謹(jǐn)慎，否則客戶就永遠(yuǎn)不會(huì)重視我們?！?/p>

????即便規(guī)劃如此周詳，宜家還是辦錯(cuò)了好幾樁事。它錯(cuò)估了實(shí)際所需的停車位數(shù)量，還有一張看似友好的地圖卻讓不少客戶很不舒服：朝鮮東部的海被標(biāo)注為日本海，而不是韓國(guó)人所習(xí)稱的東海。

????但韓國(guó)人看起來(lái)大體上已經(jīng)原諒了這家瑞典巨頭。光明市分店是宜家在全球購(gòu)物區(qū)域面積最大的一家店，現(xiàn)在人氣很旺，有望成為宜家2015年業(yè)績(jī)最佳的分店。

????這份成功來(lái)得絕非僥幸。宜家似乎是一個(gè)營(yíng)銷天才——扁平式包裝，方便拼裝，那些帶有瑞典風(fēng)情的家具正在銷往全世界。和沃爾瑪、家樂(lè)福及玩具反斗城相比，這個(gè)瑞典家具品牌已打入了更多國(guó)家的市場(chǎng)。宜家十大分店中有8家在中國(guó)，中國(guó)也是該公司增長(zhǎng)最快的市場(chǎng)。摩洛哥分店即將開張，還有傳聞?wù)f巴西分店也開張?jiān)诩?。同時(shí)，宜家打算將其瑞典肉丸賣到印度更多地方，在未來(lái)十年投資20億美元，在印度開設(shè)十家分店。

????抓穩(wěn)新興市場(chǎng)，是宜家實(shí)現(xiàn)2020年銷售突破500億歐元目標(biāo)的關(guān)鍵因素。在中國(guó)和印度，宜家已做好市場(chǎng)定位，瞅準(zhǔn)當(dāng)?shù)匮杆籴绕鸬闹挟a(chǎn)階級(jí)。這是個(gè)雄心勃勃的目標(biāo)：2014財(cái)年，宜家的銷售額為287億歐元，幾乎比2005年的銷售額翻了一番。目前宜家集團(tuán)擁有318家分店，這還不包括48家特許加盟店；到2020年，宜家的另一個(gè)目標(biāo)是：開店數(shù)量達(dá)到500家。（財(cái)富中文網(wǎng)）

????本文摘自2015年3月15日出刊的《財(cái)富》雜志。

????譯者：清遠(yuǎn)

????審校：任文科

????It took some time to figure out just the right shopping complex, off just the right highway interchange and just the right distance from Seoul, that could accommodate a 624,000-square-foot store—that is to say, one more than three times the size of the average Wal-Mart Supercenter. It took more time to solve certain mysteries, like how big to make the store’s children’s section in a country where kids are often given ample space in the family living quarters. It took more time to figure out how to showcase kitchens that incorporate kimchi refrigerators, a uniquely Korean appliance—and even more time to untangle nuances of the market, like the South Korean’s preference for metal chopsticks.

????In all, it took about six years for Ikea to unveil its inaugural store in South Korea, in Gwangmyeong, starting from the first scouting trip. Ikea celebrated the opening in December with a tree planting rather than ribbon cutting. (Chalk that up to Ikea tradition rather than to South Korean custom.)

????The lag was quintessentially Ikean. “They are ferocious about not expanding too rapidly,” says David Marcotte of consulting firm Kantar Retail. But six years? “The more global, the more complex it gets,” replies Mikael Palmquist, the regional manager of retail for Asia Pacific. “We need to get these things right or we will never be taken seriously.”

????Even with all that careful planning, Ikea managed to get a few things wrong. It misjudged the number of parking spaces needed, and a seemingly benign map for sale upset some customers: The body of water east of Korea was labeled the Sea of Japan rather than the East Sea, as South Koreans prefer.

????But the Koreans seem, for the most part, to have forgiven the Swedes. Today the Gwangmyeong store, which is the company’s largest in the world by shopping area, is on track to become one of Ikea’s top-performing outlets for 2015.

????The success is hardly a fluke. Ikea, it seems, is a genius at selling Ikea—flat packing, transporting, and reassembling its quirky Swedish styling all across the planet. The furniture and furnishings brand is in more countries than Wal-Mart, Carrefour, and Toys “R” Us. China, where Ikea has eight of its 10 biggest stores, is the company’s fastest-growing market. An outlet in Morocco is coming soon, and there are hints that Brazil may not be far off. Meanwhile, Ikea is going meatballs out in India, where it plans to invest about $2 billion over a decade to open 10 stores.

????Getting it right in emerging markets like China and India, where Ikea is well-positioned to capitalize on a growing middle class, is a key factor in its goal of hitting €50 billion in sales by 2020. That’s up from €28.7 billion in its fiscal 2014 ($39 billion based on the average exchange rate for Ikea’s fiscal year) and almost double its 2005 sales level. Today the Ikea Group has 318 stores, not including the brand’s some four dozen franchised locations; it’s aiming for around 500 by 2020.

????This story is from the March 15, 2015 issue of Fortune.