Hot on the heels of being forced by global scrutiny to close a string of fake Apple stores, it seems that the next pirate Chinese store fills in the void.
11 Furniture, as the store is known, copies Ikea's blue and yellow color scheme, mock-up rooms, miniature pencils, signage and even its rocking chair designs. Its cafeteria-style restaurant, complete with minimalist wooden tables, has a familiar look, although the menu features Chinese-style braised minced pork and eggs instead of Ikea's Swedish meatballs and salmon.
This knock-off Ikea store is emblematic of a new wave of piracy sweeping through China. Increasingly sophisticated counterfeiters no longer just pump out fake luxury handbags, DVDs and sports shoes but replicate the look, feel and service of successful Western retail concepts -- in essence, pirating the entire brand experience.
22-year-old customer service rep for 11 Furniture, Zhang Yunping, is used to the questions about Ikea. "If two people are wearing the same clothes, you are bound to say that one copied the other," Zhang said, shrugging her shoulders.
"Customers have told me we look like Ikea. But for me that's not my problem. I just look after customers' welfare. Things like copyrights, that is for the big bosses to manage," she said. 11 Furniture's owner could not be reached for comment.
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