Ikea UK and Ireland chief executive Peter Jelkeby is to step down from the role to lead the furniture giant’s business in Germany.
Jelkeby, who has been chief executive of the UK and Ireland business since 2019, is moving to Ikea Germany to succeed Walter Kadnar as chief executive and chief sustainability officer.
The retailer said a recruitment process for a successor to Jelkeby was underway, and that he would depart the business and assume the new role in Germany as of January 1, 2026.
Jelkeby started in Ikea as a part-time shop worker in 1983, he has since climbed the ranks of the business and held various leadership positions. He spent nine years at retailer Clas Ohlson as executive vice-president, chief operating officer and acting chief executive before returning to Ikea in 2019 as chief executive and chief sustainability officer of the UK and Ireland.
In a statement alongside news of his departure, the retailer credits Jelkeby with transforming the business into a “true omnichannel retailer”, creating “profitable online sales with strategic fulfilment investments”.
Peter Jelkeby said: “The UK market is at the forefront of retail innovation and that has made my time in the UK and Ireland particularly special. We’ve taken on a bold agenda, from making Ikea more accessible to driving strong, sustainable growth, and it’s our people that have made it all possible. They have led with entrepreneurship, resilience and togetherness, and the ability to deliver when it matters. For this, I am enormously grateful.
“As I look forward, it is an honour to be taking my next step with Ikea in Germany, to continue their great journey, building on what has been achieved so far. I look forward to getting to know the new team and environment, and to bringing a new perspective from the UK and Ireland, especially in the way that customers want to engage and shop with Ikea.”
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