IKEA has announced that it will be opening its third full size store in the UAE – IKEA Jebel Ali in mid-December. Spread across 32,500 sqm., IKEA Jebel Ali will be located at Al Futtaim’s Festival Plaza in Dubai South, and will appeal to the nearby communities including Jebel Ali, Al Furjan, Dubai Marina and commuters from Abu Dhabi.
The current IKEA headquarters located in Dubai Festival City mall will be shifted to the new location. Festival Plaza is part of the larger Wasl Gate masterplan development in Jebel Ali area, and the retail centre will have other stores such as Ace and LuLu Hypermarket. The new outlet will also include a 5000 sqm. training area for IKEA employees.
According to a statement from IKEA, the new store will implement several solutions designed to provide an easy and convenient shopping experience to customers. Home planning wall projectors will allow customers to be able to easily visualise products in their home and make decisions around elements including rug sizes and mattress selection.
Meanwhile, throughout the main showroom, digital signage and projector solutions will provide customers with information about the range of products available as well as serve as a guide through the store. Additionally, customers will be able to use a self-service kiosk in the restaurant driveway or a self-ordering terminal at a table to access the restaurant menu and order a meal.
The Swedish home furnishing retailer will have an in-store bakery for the first time in this region, which will consist of Swedish classics as well as other traditional baked goods, while the IKEA restaurant with a capacity of 550 seats will function as a stand-alone outlet with access from the mall. The IKEA outlet will also feature Swedish stairs, which are new to the region and will provide wooden seating and socialising areas, as well as access to the shop’s upper level.
The statement from IKEA further added that the new store will also include several sustainability innovations. Solar panels will enable the store to receive 20 per cent of its power from solar energy, while efficient AC units and lights with motion-based control will help save energy that could power more than 400 homes yearly. IKEA will also recycle 90 per cent of its dry operational waste annually; its target is to use only renewable or recycled materials for its products by 2030.
IKEA added that it will open its first store in Muscat, Oman in Q1 2021 and is expanding to Egypt with a full format store scheduled to open in Q4 2020. Sharjah is also expected to have a new IKEA store, for which details will be revealed next year.