Dive Brief:

• Stockholm-based furniture manufacturer-retailer IKEA Group posted $4.51 billion in net profits in the 12 months through August 2013, up 3.1% from last year. 

• The company’s report said it was seeing consumer spending in recovery in many markets worldwide.

• There are more than 300 IKEA stores in 26 countries, selling all manner of furniture and textiles to some 680 million people each year. IKEA has about 135,000 employees.

Dive Insight:

Good news from IKEA could mean good news for everyone. Its record sales are, as its company spokespeople said, a good indication that consumers are shopping with wider-open wallets and that the economy worldwide is breathing easier. But despite its record profits, the Swedish furniture maker-retailer has possible trouble ahead unless it finally fully embraces e-commerce. IKEA sells online in about half of its 26 markets, and it has made noise about expanding online availability of its products. But nothing specific has ever been announced about what that means or when that will happen. These days, IKEA’s avoidance of online sales is a little strange, even quaint, and could dent its profit-making machine.