Swedish furniture retailer Ikea has plans to open a store in Bahrain, which will be one of its largest outlets in the Middle East.
Scheduled to open in the second quarter of 2018, the 37,000m² store will create around 600 new jobs once it is operational.
The store will be located at Salmabad and will require an investment of approximately BD47m ($124.76m).
Ikea Bahrain will be developed in partnership with Saudi Arabia-based Ghassan Ahmed Al Sulaiman Furniture Trading Company.
G P Zachariades has been appointed as the primary contractor of this project.
Ikea Saudi Arabia and Bahrain CEO Saud Ghassan Al Sulaiman was quoted by Tradearabia.com as saying: “Since the start of the partnership between Ikea and Ghassan Ahmed Al Sulaiman Furniture Trading Company in 1983, we have strived to expand and grow this innovative brand into high-potential markets.
“Bahrain has always been an attractive destination for investors and retailers, due to its vibrant economy and favourable business environment.”
The new store will feature a 6,200m² showroom, a 6,000m² market hall for accessories, and a 5,000m² self-serve area. It will also have parking spaces for more than 1,100 vehicles over two levels, and a 2,500m² restaurant that will sell Swedish delicacies besides local cuisines.
Ikea expansion manager Fruto Hernandez was quoted by Tradearabia.com as saying: “With all these facilities rolled out, we are expecting more than 1.2 million visitors a year to visit our store.”
Ikea has 385 stores across 48 countries.
