Legendary for its purchasing strategies, IKEA revolutionised the thinking and execution of procurement departments across the world. Are you ready to learn the secrets of success of one of the most admired purchasing organizations in the world? Strategic Sourcing and Category Management examines how category management works in practice, drawing insight from IKEA. With over twenty years' experience of purchasing at IKEA, Magnus Carlsson shares the wisdom gained from devising and executing IKEA's highly successful purchasing strategies. This unique text is not just a case study - it is supported by insightful interviews, case studies and practical examples, which are compared and contrasted with examples from other leading companies. Strategic Sourcing and Category Management answers three critical questions: -When is category management a profitable method and why? -How do category teams create real results? -How can category management be organized and implemented effectively? In answering these three questions, Magnus Carlsson not only presents the guiding principles behind category based sourcing, he also demonstrates how category based sourcing can effectively be implemented in practice and provides guidance on how to realise the benefits of this approach. Cleverly connecting theory and practice, the book draws upon both existing and new tools, and applies them in a highly practical context. With application spanning far beyond IKEA, this book is an invaluable resource for procurement and purchasing professionals in any industry. Strategic Sourcing and Category Management is the result of twenty five years' experience of Strategic Sourcing within IKEA and collaboration with several companies and the Stockholm School of Economics.