A spokesperson for IKEA Canada confirmed to The Globe and Mail that the EXPEDIT is being phased out. But she said in an e-mail it was ‘not a discontinuation, rather a redesign with a new name.’Torbjörn Åhman/The Globe and Mail
One of IKEA's most popular shelving units is not long for this world, and the Internet is not happy.
The Swedish company announced on its German Facebook page that it is discontinuing its EXPEDIT shelving unit.
A spokesperson for IKEA Canada confirmed to The Globe and Mail that the EXPEDIT is being phased out. But she said in an e-mail it was "not a discontinuation, rather a redesign with a new name."
"IKEA has updated and improved the EXPEDIT shelving unit with a sleek, new design that is more durable (with a more scratch-resistant surface), more child-friendly (with rounded corners), the cubes are the same size and still fits all existing storage baskets and boxes. With this new design, IKEA is giving EXPEDIT a new name: KALLAX," the spokesperson said.
But that hasn't stopped fans, particularly record collectors, from flipping out.
More than 20, 000 people have signed a Facebook petition to save the EXPEDIT shelf.
The EXPEDIT shelving unit is hugely popular, especially among vinyl fans, because its dimensions are perfect for storing records.
"Vinyl nerds descend on Ikea to purchase all the Expedit pieces. #hipsterapocalypse," one person tweeted upon hearing news of the planned discontinuation.
Amidst all the freaking out, Kelsey Campbell-Dollaghan pointed out on Gizmodo that there's a very good reason for the change, one most of us should be able to support.
IKEA uses one per cent of the world's wood supply, or 17.8 million cubic yards, she noted.
The new unit will have the same internal dimensions as the EXPEDIT, meaning your records are safe, people. What's changing is the thickness of the unit's out edge. That reduction will mean IKEA uses less wood, which is a good thing when you're gobbling up trees on such a massive scale.
The new unit goes on sale April 1.
Dave McGinn