As world goes digital, IKEA to stop printing its iconic catalog

Some tragic news for those who enjoy perusing pages upon pages of perfectly acceptable furniture with incomprehensible Nordic names from the comfort of their own less-than-acceptable couch.

Swedish furniture giant Ikea says it will stop publication of its famed catalog, printed yearly in tens of millions of copies, after 70 years, as customers move to digital alternatives.

A woman reads a catalogue while in line outside a new IKEA store in Michigan, June 5, 2006 (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

“Customer behavior and media consumption have changed, and fewer people read the Ikea Catalogue today than in years past. Inter Ikea Systems, the worldwide Ikea franchisor, has therefore taken the emotional but rational decision to respectfully end the successful career of the Ikea Catalogue,” the company says in a statement.

— with AFP