IKEA China denies publicity stunt after half-naked woman snapped in store

IKEA China denies publicity stunt after half-naked woman snapped in store

IKEA China has issued a statement denying that it had orchestrated a nude publicity stunt, after a half-naked woman was snapped walking around the store.

The snaps uploaded online to micro-blogging site Weibo on Wednesday (June 29) showed the bare-bottomed woman sitting on a bed and pushing a trolley around the store, among other poses.

Customers were shown shopping in the background, seemingly oblivious to the stunt.

According to Chinese site Tencent, the user who uploaded the images told a reporter that they were taken by a friend, allegedly in a Beijing store.

The photos were removed after police tracked down the uploader.

However, a second set of photos resurfaced, but was also quickly deleted, Shanghaiist reported.

In its statement, IKEA refuted claims that it had employed such tactics to generate publicity. "There is speculation about the behavior of IKEA as it opens up new stores. IKEA strongly denies this speculation." It added that it had reported the incident to the authorities.

Last year, Uniqlo in China had also been accused of being behind a viral video which showed a couple having sex in a fitting room.

Uniqlo released a statement urging customers to use its changing rooms the "correct way" after the incident. 

candicec@sph.com.sg

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