6 replies to this topic

[mcheiss]

IKEA AB plans to open the largest retail store in the United Arab Emirates.

The store,  will cover 273,403 square feet in Dubai Festival City, the largest retail outlet in the emirates.

IKEA also is opening its first store in Cyprus, with an outlet to be built just outside Nicosia.

Edited by mcheiss, 27 November 2005 - 12:57 PM.

[NCB]

Wow, IKEA seems to be expanding to cities everywhere...

[Mith242]

Yeah IKEA seems to be trying to speed up opening stores in some areas of the world.  Unfortunately it will be a very long time before they'd open anywhere near me.

[mcheiss]

Mith242, on Nov 20 2005, 07:18 AM, said:

Yeah IKEA seems to be trying to speed up opening stores in some areas of the world.  Unfortunately it will be a very long time before they'd open anywhere near me.

Yeah Mith, It will probably 30 years or so.

I'm sure Memphis or Kansas City will get one in the near future.

[Mith242]

mcheiss, on Nov 20 2005, 11:38 AM, said:

Yeah Mith, It will probably 30 years or so.

I'm sure Memphis or Kansas City will get one in the near future.

I don't know.  I think IKEA is insistant that they stick to the very large store format especially here in the US.  Even though they are trying to speed up opening new stores I think they are still going to be going for the larger markets.  Maybe Memphis and Kansas City have larger metros than I know of but I think it still might be a while before either city has an IKEA.

[mcheiss]

The IKEA opened last week in Dubai Festival City. At roughly 25,000 square metres, the DFC branch is four times bigger than the company’s previous store at Deira City Centre and becomes the UAE’s largest retail outlet.

[mcheiss]

Also, the new store features around 6500 products, 54 room-sets, has 1200 parking spaces, a 300-seat restaurant and a Swedish foodmarket. It also has 22-cashier counters as well as a team of 300 staff and becomes the first of many retail outlets within DFC to be opened to the public. Other stores are being opened in the coming weeks.

Some of these stores include:

The largest Marks & Spencer in the world outside the UK.
The largest Toys R Us toy store in the world, outside Times Square in New York.

This entire development will include: 1600-acre DFC development that features office towers, waterfront villas, hotels, an 18-hole championship golf course and a 150-berth marina. The project, which runs along four kilometres of the Dubai Creek is bill-ed as the region’s largest privately-funded mixed-use real estate development.