Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
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Leeds Beckett students scoop top prize in IKEA competition
The winners were chosen ahead of two rival groups from the university after impressing judges from the retail giant with their pitch that recommended better educating students about their products.
The 12-week contest saw teams tasked with developing a communications plan to show how millennials could be made more aware of sustainability before buying furniture for their student accommodation.
Robert Minton-Taylor, senior lecturer at the university’s Leeds Business School, said: "Partnering with a company like IKEA - with its strong ethical values - helps give students the skills they need for successful careers based on personal and business integrity.”
This was the seventh year of collaboration between the university and IKEA, with students helping to develop a number of different communications campaigns for the furniture retailer during that time.
The victorious team was comprised of five Leeds Beckett students from five different countries. They were David Ramgraber (Germany), Laura Wijnolst (Netherlands), Diana Pršancová (Slovakia), Sofia Solia (Greece) and Do Mai Phuong (Vietnam).
Team leader David Ramgraber said: “Having client-based projects such as this one with an iconic brand like IKEA really makes a difference. It increases post-graduation employment opportunities and brings practicality to what we learn in the classroom.”
Helen Denton, marketing manager at IKEA Leeds, said: “All the teams made a real connection to our brand and high ethical values. The winning team connected really well with the brief and turned their environmental ideas into viable business solutions.”