Ikea examined by French police for suspicion of surveillance of customer and workers

Monday, 19 March 2012
Ikea has been called a spy shop, as the Swedish furniture giant is accused of illegal surveillance. For this reason, police in France has searched the Ikea's French headquarters for evidence. Ikea has launched an internal investigation to ascertain what had happened.

"It is true that the police has started an investigation. It is something we welcome and we’ll cooperate with them fully, "said Sara Carlsson, press manager of Ikea Sweden.

It was a week ago that the French police carried out a survey of Ikea's French headquarters in Plaisir, a suburb of Paris, and a search warrant was issued at the home of Ikea France's security chief to secure evidence, writes The Guardian.

The investigation was launched after two French unions notified Ikea to have paid a private company to spy on staff and complaining customers. The deal was revealed by the French newspaper Le Canard Enchaïné, which published an email conversation between Ikea's French management and a private security firm, according to The Guardian.

The security should have asked a series of personal information extracted from criminal records and other details. Affected are a large number of people, including a leading trade union person.

Other reports talked of how security guards should have been hired by Ikea. In one case, there was a real estate agent who bought an Ikea wardrobe to her office in 2008 but complained that some of the wooden panels were unstable. It follows that Ikea's staff had ordered the security firm to investigate him.

Surveillance of employees is reported to have taken place and that the workers union is aware of it.

"We are looking very seriously at this. Ikea is a value based company and all we do is grounded in our business and conducted in an honest way, so it is clear that we take very seriously the allegations, "said Sara Carlsson.

Ikea has also launched an internal investigation to ascertain what happened. To assist the company has taken the international law firm of Skadden.
By Scancomark.se Team

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