Ikea's Malm dressers and chests tipped over and caused the deaths of two children in separate incidents. But instead of the usual way of recalling the product, Ikea, instead is giving away for free wall anchoring repair kit to the 27million who have bought the Malm dressers and chests, reports Huffington Post.
The US Consumer Product Safety Commissions (CPSC) issued this order to Ikea after a child died in Feb 2014 at Pennsylvania, and a more recent one, last month at Washington State. It took them almost a month to conduct the investigation and come out with the advisory.
CPSC also issued guidelines about dressers and chests. A homeowner should always securely attach it to the wall to avoid tipping it. Attachment is a requirement for children's dressers and chests higher than 23.5in, and for adults, higher than 29.5in.
This Swedish company also had to recall 169,000 crib mattresses early this year, which showed the dangers of having a child trapped between the mattress and the crib. In 2013, Ikea pulled out from their stores 17,000 portions of Swedish meatballs, supposedly made from pork and beef, but actually contained horsemeat.
Ikea started as a mail-order sales business in 1943. It was only five years after that they started selling furniture. They are now a household name in their business of designing and selling ready-to-assemble furniture and home accessories. Their designs are famous for being modern, eco-friendly and simple. In January 2008, Ikea was the world's largest furniture retailer. As of June this year, they have 353 stores in 46 countries worldwide. In their website, they feature 12,000 products.
In 1951, they started printing product catalogues. It now comprises 70% of their marketing budget.
Ikea's biggest market is in Germany, with the US in second place. In 2014, it posted revenue of 29.293 billion euros.
