Mr Philip Wee, 61, yesterday served his last day as general manager of Ikano Holdings - which runs the Ikea Singapore franchise.

The staff at Ikea Alexandra were initially stunned when he announced his exit a month ago. They threw him an emotional farewell breakfast party yesterday.

'It has been an exciting 13 years with Ikea, with many highlights,' he told The Straits Times in an interview. The decision to leave was not Ikea's but his own, as he felt it was the right time to start his own business.

'I would like to work for another decade, and I can guarantee that only by striking out on my own now while I have the energy,' said Mr Wee, who is approaching the official retirement age of 62.

He will now run his own firm - Claymore Training and Consultancy - and will be a retail consultant and trainer. And he has already got his first customer: Ikea.

As Ikea's new retail consultant, Mr Wee will travel to the Netherlands next month for a 'train-the- trainer' course, and return to train the staff at Ikea Alexandra and Tampines.

Local horticultural firm Far East Flora and home improvement Home-Fix The DIY Store have also engaged him.

Singapore's retail scene has grown by leaps and bounds and is now very competitive, he said.

'So I'll be focused, in the next year or so, on increasing the physical presence of these stores and building their brand names with creative ideas,' Mr Wee said.

He has seen Ikea through a tumultuous decade. He joined Ikea from departmental store Robinsons in 1994 when Ikea was in a 6,000 sq m store in Katong after setting up in Singapore in 1978.

In 1995, Ikea opened its 11,200 sq m Alexandra branch, which now sees 6.3 million visits a year.

After rising to general manager in 1997, Mr Wee weathered the ups and downs, from the 1997 Asian financial crisis to the Sars outbreak, and the opening of Ikea's 249th store worldwide in Tampines.

Mr Wee's retail career had a humble beginning. He was a porter for leading department store Selfridges in London, after he made a career switch from the shipping business to retail.

When he left yesterday, he had 655 staff, or co-workers, as he calls them, under him to oversee the store's operations.

'It is heartbreaking to leave my colleagues who have done so much to bring Ikea to where it is now,' said Mr Wee. 'But I'm glad I'll still have some presence here.'

Some highlights in Mr Wee's career at Ikea included meeting Ikea's founder, Mr Ingvar Kamprad, who made a cup of coffee for him.

In a statement, Ikea's country marketing manager, Mr Lars Svensson, said: 'Parting is not easy... we at Ikea Singapore regretted to learn about his decision...but we are grateful for the opportunity to have worked with Philip.'

But he added: 'We are entering a new phase in our relationship. '

For the time being, Mr Wee's duties will be taken over by Ikano's managing director, Mr Tom Huzell. Ikea's Mr Svensson said: 'In the end, we think we will have the cake and eat it. Some stories do really have a happy ending.'

jcheam@sph.com.sg