SM and Sweden-based IKEA made public their partnership at a recent event at SM Mall of Asia. Before 2020 ends, the two global companies expect to open the biggest Ikea store in the world–a 65,000 sq. m. location next to SM Mall of Asia and in front of SMX Convention Center.
The long wait is over! IKEA, one of the world’s biggest and most popular home furnishings retailers, will finally be opening its first branch in the Philippines. And it won’t just be another regular IKEA store—it will be its largest store in the world!
The Swedish brand’s store, which will be located beside SM Mall of Asia, will open its doors to the public in late 2020. It will be as big as 150 basketball courts, almost double the size of a typical IKEA big blue-box.
Plans for the opening of the said store were officially announced recently at the SM Mall of Asia Complex. IKEA provided a little taste of things to come at the launch, as its team served up Swedish meatballs and welcomed mall visitors to take photographs in an electric jeepney painted in IKEA blue and yellow. Apart from journalists, the event was attended by SM and IKEA officials as well as representative from the government.
“The IKEA vision is to create a better everyday life for the many people, so we are excited to be bringing our offer to a country where millions of people share our passion for home,” said Christian Rojkjaer, managing director of IKEA Southeast Asia.
At around 65,000 sq. m. and more than 55-room settings, the first IKEA store will boast a shop floor similar to other IKEA stores. The only difference is that the building will house an integrated call center and a super-sized warehouse to accommodate e-commerce operations. The usual IKEA features such as the self-serve warehouse, supervised playroom and restaurant serving the global brand’s signature Swedish meatballs will also be available at IKEA’S Philippine store.
From candles and cookware to kitchens and sofas, the IKEA store in Manila will be offering everything homeowners need under one roof. Products that promote sustainability at home, ranging from affordable LED lights to recycling solutions, will also be available.
Rojkjaer, who owns IKEA stores in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, adds: “We have around 9,000 well-designed, functional home furnishing products that can help people make everyday life at home a little better. All at affordable prices!”
Additionally, people in Greater Manila will be able to shop online and get orders delivered direct to their doorsteps.
IKEA Southeast Asia is making an initial investment of around P7 billion to fit out, stock, market and staff the first store for its opening. The company also plans to hire around 500 Filipino co-workers and will create hundreds of spin-off jobs and business opportunities. IKEA is currently looking for local partners to support operations in areas such as food supply, transport, waste management, security and more.
For more information, visit the IKEA Philippines official website at www.IKEA.ph.
