How Ingka reduced its turnover rate by 5 percentage points in 16 months

The HR policies deployed at Ingka Group are designed to improve team loyalty without reducing operational efficiency. In 2023, however, staff turnover reached 56% in the specialised retail sector and 69% in food in the USA, with significant differences depending on age group and type of store, according to management consultancy OC&C. We spoke to Ulrika Biesert, chief people officer of Ingka Group (Ikea) and David Sinclair, partner at OC&C, about this topic.

“What are your action plans to improve employee loyalty in shops? Particularly older employees, who are twice as loyal as those under 30?” This question, posed by David Sinclair, partner at OC&C Strategy Consultants, at the World Retail Congress conference on 18 April, got many retailers thinking. According to the firm’s study, published in January 2024, the turnover rate in specialised retail reached 56% in 2023 in the USA. In food retail (supermarkets and hypermarkets), this figure climbed to 69%. “While the situation is generally bad in retail, the problem of retaining employees is even more acute in the food sector, and is getting worse as time goes by,” says David Sinclair. “In a low-margin sector like supermarkets and hypermarkets, staff turnover is a challenge that no-one can afford.…

Sophie Baqué

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