The story. With more than 5m visitors a year, Ikea’s Xu Hui store in Shanghai is one of the Swedish retail chain’s 10 best revenue generators worldwide, although the average spend per customer is relatively low. The smallest of its 11 stores in China, its city centre location means that 60 per cent of customers arrive by public transport.

Part of the Ikea concept is that the stores provide a spacious, clean location where customers can rest and eat Swedish-inspired meals and snacks. The restaurant is less of a marketing tool than a support to the customer service ethos.

The challenge. A dating club for older Chinese adopted Ikea Xu Hui’s restaurant as the venue for its twice-weekly meetings. The seniors were registering with the club online and paying Rmb10 to an unidentified organiser, who designated the restaurant as a meeting place.