Toss Your Allen Wrenches: IKEA Buys TaskRabbit

Huge news from Sweden today, as sources say that IKEA has purchased TaskRabbit, according to Recode.

TaskRabbit, one of the biggest players in the gig economy where people offer their time and services as housecleaners, movers, furniture assemblers, and the like, will “become an independent subsidiary within Ikea and CEO Stacy Brown-Philpot and its staff would remain,” sources also told Recode.

Recode also notes that “TaskRabbit had already struck a pilot partnership with Ikea around furniture assembly in the United Kingdom and also had marketed its workers’ ability to put together Ikea items in the U.S. and elsewhere.”

The acquisition—for which a price has not been revealed—is likely IKEA’s attempt to compete with Amazon as the online retailer steps up its home goods offerings and as well as its installation and service for hire options.

Though IKEA also has a “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em” mentality when it comes to the Seattle-based company; earlier this year, it was announced that IKEA products would be available on Amazon and other non-IKEA websites starting in 2018.

The Swedish retailer was tragically late to the e-commerce game, but has stepped it up a bit in the past few years, especially with their recent partnership with Apple’s ARKit for the augmented reality app IKEA Place.

While it’s still early, we’re hoping this could mean the expansion of the TaskRabbit pilot stateside, and possibly never having to pick up an allen wrench again.

Read more about the acquisition over on Recode.