Ikea will only sell LED lighting by 2016

By PATRICK WALTERS, Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Two years after it began phasing out incandescent bulbs, Swedish retailer Ikea is taking another step and planning to only sell energy-efficient LED lighting by 2016.

In 2010, Ikea announced plans to have all incandescent bulbs out of its North American stores by 2011. The company then shifted toward only selling efficient options including compact fluorescent bulbs, LED and halogen lamps.

Now, the company is going a step further and plans to only sell LED lighting due to their longer lifespan. On Monday, IKEA announced plans to shift to all-LED across the globe by 2016. The retailer says LED lighting consumes 85 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs and can last up to 20 times longer.

IKEA's U.S. headquarters is in Plymouth Meeting near Philadelphia. Ikea has about 38 stores in the U.S.

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