Frankfurt, Germany  - The head of the German division of the home products retailer, IKEA, says the company's male customers have a bad track record compared to its female clients when it comes to putting furniture together.

"Men never look at the instruction leaflet and have the most problems when assembling our furniture because they think they can do it without help," Petra Hesser told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa in an interview.

Women, on the other hand, study the instructions and are methodical when it comes to getting the job done.

"A woman will neatly lay out all the screws while a man will throw them in a pile. Something always goes missing."

About 70 per cent of the Swedish retailer's customers are women, said Hesser.

"We also know that important decisions are made together. Men have to come along to finalise a big purchase," she added.

However, it is not men who make the ultimate decision. "If a woman is against buying an item, then that puts an end to the matter." (dpa)