Thursday, February 04, 2010:
IKEA UAE has announced that it expects to serve some 1.3 million visitors in its first year of operations on Yas Island, the major new leisure and entertainment destination under development in Abu Dhabi by Aldar Properties, in 2011.
The announcement was made following a formal ground breaking ceremony on Yas Island involving senior management from Al-Futtaim, IKEA, Aldar Properties and the media.
Mile Franicevic, Group Director - Retail, Al-Futtaim, said that IKEA was looking forward to being one of the first globally recognised retailers on Yas Island. The IKEA store will be a complete family destination and will form part of Yas Island's retail centre, based around Yas Mall, featuring a wide range of retail categories from individual boutiques to large format value retailers.
The present IKEA store, located at Abu Dhabi's Marina Mall will relocate to Yas Island where it will be a fully-fledged concept store.
Expected to be up and running within a year, the IKEA store will have a full service warehouse and follow the global concept of offering a wide range of home furnishings of good design and function at prices so low that the majority of people can afford to buy them.
IKEA's business continues to grow in the Middle East, more so in the present economic environment. This is proof of the strength of the IKEA brand in this part of the world and the intense loyalty of its customers. "The groundbreaking event clearly signals IKEA's long term plans of being part of the country's high growth area. It is also an enormous milestone for IKEA which will be one of the first globally recognised retailers to operate from Yas Island," said Mile Franicevic who confirmed that the 32,000 square metre flagship store will be a strong impetus for the Swedish retailer to push ahead with plans to expand in the region.
The IKEA store on Yas Island will have 1,500 parking bays for customers who will be served by 35 cash tills at the back of a total sales area of 19,150 square metres. The cash tills include refund/exchange desks and IKEA food & beverage counters. Alongside the 6,000 square metre 'Market Hall' and 6,150 square metre showroom furniture areas, there will be a 550-seat, 2,100 square metre restaurant serving popular Swedish delicacies as well as IKEA's healthy and affordable breakfast and lunches. There will also be an exciting and fun play area for the young customers.
Speaking at the event, Mohammed Al Mubarak, Chief Commercial Officer, Aldar Properties, commented: "It is a great honour to celebrate this momentous occasion with our colleagues from Al-Futtaim and IKEA. "Aldar is committed to bringing the very best international brands to Yas Island and all its retail developments. The start of construction on the Middle East's finest IKEA store is a great milestone in achieving this goal."
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