Sweden’s IKEA, a global maker of furniture and home goods, has extended its trademark protections in Russia through August 2033. The update comes via the Telegram channel Puree, which tracks corporate developments in the region.
According to materials obtained by the channel, IKEA’s Dutch headquarters submitted an application to Rospatent on August 1, 2023, with approval granted on February 2, 2024. The news suggests a formal extension of brand rights within Russia, ensuring the continued legal recognition of the IKEA name and its logo in that market.
Mash reported that the package covered a yellow-blue IKEA logo, a complete catalog of services, and the authority to sell IKEA products in Russia under the extended protection. The channel speculated that the move might reflect a strategy to keep the brand legally safeguarded should the market reopen on future terms, making it harder for another entity to adopt the name.
Earlier, on March 3, 2022, IKEA’s press office announced a temporary halt to operations in Russia and Belarus. On June 15, the company outlined plans to reduce staff and to divest all four of its factories in Russia. Subsequent reports indicated that IKEA decided to liquidate one of its Russian entities, Ikea Purchasing Services Rus LLC, as part of the broader withdrawal process.
The situation then evolved into March 2023, when reports described the last remained factory in Russia as being located in Saint Petersburg and noted a sale of that asset to Vadim Osipov, the co-owner of Slotex, a decorative coatings manufacturer based in Saint Petersburg.
Earlier instances of localized equivalents to IKEA were observed in Yekaterinburg, with Belarusian brands serving as comparative references to the Swedish retailer’s presence in the region, according to regional market watchers. The development underscores how multinational brands sometimes preserve certain brand elements or registrations even as operational footprints shift or shrink in response to geopolitical and economic considerations.