IKEA announces three year partnership with children’s charity Barnardos
23 October, 2019: IKEA is delighted to announce a three year partnership in Ireland with children’s charity Barnardos. The partnership was launched today with the unveiling of the new SAGOSKATT range, a limited-edition collection of soft toys available in-store and online in the run up to the festive season, with all proceeds going directly to the charity.
IKEA and Barnardos will work together to deliver a long-term positive impact on the lives of the most vulnerable children and young people in Ireland. This partnership will be supported by staff fundraising and in-store activations throughout the year, as well as all proceeds from the new SAGOSKATT range.
Back for its fifth year, the SAGOSKATT range boasts an all-new cast of imaginative creatures designed by children, for children, all in the name of giving back to local communities.
IKEA believes that every child has the right to learn, develop and have fun. The SAGOSKATT collection aims to challenge children to let their imaginations run wild and create their very own fantastical creatures through an annual Soft Toy Drawing Competition. The contest sees children from all over the world submit their best artwork of their own imaginary characters in a bid to have them created for real by IKEA for other children to enjoy.
Available now at IKEA Dublin for a limited period, the proceeds from the sale of each toy sold in Ireland will be donated to Barnardos, to help fulfil the potential in every child and young person through education and play – making them the perfect gift with a conscience this Christmas.
Amongst the range are a cucumber superhero, a bookish red Robot, a bedtime hugging Little Monster, a Rainbow Giraffe, a Party Mouse, and a Rainbow Kid (in socks), all available from the affordable €5 for the full-sized toy or just €1.50 for the mini versions.
Speaking at the launch, Kaidi Samosova, Deputy Store Manager, IKEA Dublin,
“Our vision at IKEA is to create a better everyday life for the many people and we are thrilled to be able to partner with Barnardos, who are so committed to transforming the lives of children in need. We are inspired by the work of Barnardos and we are delighted that children in local communities all over Ireland will be benefiting directly from our partnership and from activities like the SAGOSKATT drawing competition.”
Suzanne Connolly, Barnardos CEO said:
“We’re delighted to announce our partnership with Ikea today. In the last year alone we have worked with over 17,700 children and families across the country, striving to provide brighter futures for the children we work with. IKEA, like Barnardos, believe that children have the right to develop, play and learn while enjoying the innocence of childhood. Unfortunately the issues facing many of the children we work with, such as domestic abuse and addiction, will not disappear overnight but with IKEA’s support we can ensure we reach more children than ever before. We look forward to seeing how this partnership will develop in the coming years.”
Supporting the launch, Barnardos ambassador Alison Curtis commented:
“I’m delighted to be able support the new partnership between Barnardos and IKEA today. I have long been a supporter of Barnardos and the great work that they do, without which many of the most vulnerable in our society would fall between the cracks. It’s an exciting partnership that I believe will provide fantastic support to one of Ireland’s most important organisations.”
The winners of the Soft Toy Drawing Competition, aged between 5 and 11 years of age, have seen their drawing turned in to exact recreations of their masterpieces:
Gurki the cucumber superhero is on a mission to get kids to eat more cucumbers, by 9-year-old Kilian, from Germany
”Gurki is a cucumber. I love to eat cucumbers and hope that by playing with Gurki, other children will love to eat cucumbers too. I wanted to try something new and hope that Gurki will be a superhero for many children.”
Little Monster the bedtime hugging monster who keeps all bad monsters away, by 9-year-old Thomas, from Greece
“I made a smiley monster that’s ready to give children hugs so that they are not afraid of monsters or the dark anymore. I hope that with my soft toy, children all over the world will find a friend to keep them company while they sleep, so that they will not have any nightmares.”
Rainbow Giraffe the mischievous giraffe with a passion for healthy food, by 6-year-old Claudia, from Canary Islands
“I have drawn a giraffe that’s not like the rest. It’s a bit different. Rainbow Giraffe eats healthy food. She’s a bit mischievous and very loving. I hope that kids will play nice with her, that they will treat her well and feed her and give her water.”
Jesse the balloon loving party mouse, by 7-year-old Noor, from Jordan
“I was thinking of drawing a big mouse with balloons because I love mice. Jesse loves playing with children and I want the kids to play with Jesse and their other toys so that they become like a family.”
Rully the bookish red robot who loves to sing and dance, by 11-year-old Riana, from Cyprus
“My robot likes to do everything. It likes to help with housework, to draw, to sing, to dance and to be entertaining. It also knows how to write, read and play music. It’s made for both small children and children my age. I also made it in neutral colours so that both boys and girls can play with it.”
Rainbow Kid (in socks), by five-year-old Darren Wing Hei, from Hong Kong
“I love the rainbow in the sky so much. But I’m afraid that maybe the rainbow will feel cold up there. So, I drew socks for the rainbow to stay warm.”
Barnardos helps transform children’s lives through their services; by supporting parents; and by challenging society where it fails children. Barnardos provides vital frontline services to vulnerable children and young people in Ireland and works in over 40 projects across the country.
For more information on the collection, visit www.barnardos.ie
For more information on IKEA’s ‘Let’s Play for Change’ campaign, visit https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/this-is-ikea/
Ends
Notes to editor
* the price of each toy sold, net of VAT, will be donated to the children’s charity Barnardos, to help support every child’s right to play and develop.
About IKEA Group
With a vision to create a better everyday life for the many people, IKEA offers well-designed, functional and affordable home furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible are able to afford a beautiful and functional home. IKEA Group (INGKA Holding B.V. and its controlled entities) is one of 11 different groups of companies that own and operate IKEA sales channels under franchise agreements with Inter IKEA Systems B.V. IKEA Group is the world’s largest home furnishing retailer and operates 357 stores in 29 countries. In FY17 IKEA Group stores had 817 million visits and 2.1 billion visited www.IKEA.com.
About the Ingka Group
Ingka Group (Ingka Holding B.V. and its controlled entities) is one of 11 different groups of companies that own and operate IKEA sales channels under franchise agreements with Inter IKEA Systems B.V. Ingka Group has three business areas: IKEA Retail, Ingka Investments and Ingka Centres. It is the world’s largest home furnishing retailer operating 367 IKEA stores in 30 markets. These IKEA stores had 838 million visits during FY18 and 2.35 billion visits www.IKEA.com. Ingka Group operates business under the IKEA vision is to create a better everyday life for the many people by offering a wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible will be able to afford them.
About Barnardos
Barnardos helps transform children’s lives through their services; by supporting parents; and by challenging society where it fails children. Barnardos works in over 40 projects across the country and was established in Ireland in 1962. www.barnardos.ie