Ikea ‘spied on customers’

Firm could face £3m fine as prosecutors assemble case

IKEA has gone on trial accused of paying private investigators up to £500,000 a year to spy on hundreds of staff and customers.

It was alleged detectives working on its behalf paid to gain access to police files as they snooped on staff they were suspicious about.

Customers the company was in a dispute with also allegedly had their personal information inappropriately accessed.

One accusation is that private eyes investigated an employee who had claimed unemployment benefits but drove a Porsche, a French court heard. Another claims bosses looked for criminal records to see how one worker could own a BMW convertible on a low income. One employee said he was suspected of being a criminal because he had the same name as a bank robber.

The claims have been made against Ikea France, which has 10,000 employees, and the case is being heard in Paris. The company faces a corporate fine of up to £3.3million if found guilty.

The firm paid investigators up to £500,000 a year for three years – and possibly as long as ten – the court heard. Unions reported the company to French authorities, accusing it of collecting personal data by fraudulent means and illicitly disclosing that information.

Ikea France denied spying on anyone, but the head office fired four executives after local prosecutors opened a criminal probe.

The company is on trial alongside 15 people, including former managers and executives, and four police officers accused of handing over confidential information.

Emmanuel Daoud, the lawyer for Ikea France, said there was no proof of ‘a widespread system of spying’. The trial continues.