The French branch of Swedish furniture retailer Ikea has gone on trial accused of using a network of private detectives and police to spy on staff. They say Paris regularly sent lists of names for private investigators to snoop on, with people targeted for their political beliefs and spending habits. It was also alleged that Ikea sought to catch an employee who had claimed unemployment benefits but drove a Porsche. Since then, Ikea has sacked four top executives but unions argue the internal measures do not go far enough. French Ikea currently employs some 10,000 people at 34 stores, and announced an overall profit of £2.6billion in 2019.

Source: Daily Mail March 22, 2021 11:47 UTC