Ingka Centres uses a Paris pillow-fight event to push experiential retail

In June, Ingka Centres staged the French launch of the Pillow Fight Championship inside the Italie Deux mall in Paris, where adults competed in a padded arena and could join free training sessions. The event, backed by Ingka Centres - the property division of the Ingka Group, the top Ikea franchisee - illustrates the firm’s shift toward experience-driven retail as e-commerce and the pandemic have pressured physical stores.

Sebastian Hylving, chief executive of Ingka Centres, argues that malls must function like amusement parks, offering attractions such as e-sports tournaments in Sweden and a Pippi Longstocking storytelling showcase that attracted over 24 million visitors in China. He notes that footfall rose 18 % to 320 million in 2025 and that the company has cut its operational climate footprint by 77 % through design choices. While the strategy is proving successful in Europe, Ingka is testing the model in India with two large projects near Delhi, confronting new logistical challenges. Hylving stresses that continual innovation is essential for malls to become regular community hubs rather than one-off destinations.