The largest IKEA store of Dubai and the third full-sized store in the UAE opened its doors for customers in Jebel Ali.
Targeted at nearby communities such as Jebel Ali, Al Furjan, Dubai Marina and surrounding communities, IKEA is based in Al Futtaim’s newest Mall development, Festival Plaza, in the South of Dubai, which opened on the same day, the store is spread across 35,500 square meters including a 5,000 square meters training area for IKEA employees and is also home to the World’s Tallest IKEA Navigation Tower.
The store was opened in the presence of Omar Al Futtaim, Vice Chairman Al-Futtaim Jon Abrahamsson, CEO of Inter IKEA as well as Carl Morner, Deputy Head of Mission – Embassy of Sweden and selected VIP guests and customers who queued up to witness the opening and be among the first to enter the new store.
The complete home setup in the new store will provide customers with additional small space living solutions. One such home is set with smart home solutions to show customers how they can easily make the transition to smart living.
Throughout the main showroom, digital signage and projector solutions will provide customers with information about the range of products available as well as guide them through the store and enhance their shopping experience. Approximately 16 home planning wall projectors are built across the store that will allow customers to be able to easily visualise products in their home.
The store will also feature a brand new Customer Planning Studio for customers with extensive kitchen and bathroom requirements making planning easier and improving the overall shopping experience.
Along with that, the lighting department will have an exclusive area for all smart home lighting products for ease in selection. The store will also have more inspiring room settings that are tailored specifically for the many different tastes of Dubai’s 200+ nationalities and backgrounds.
The new store is built with sustainability at its core. From solar panels that will enable the store to receive more than 20% of its energy from the sun, to efficient AC units and motion-based lighting that will help save energy to power over 400 homes for an entire year, IKEA will also recycle 90% of their operational waste annually to reach a target of using only renewable or recycled materials for their products by 2030.
The IKEA Restaurant, which is now accessible directly from the mall has a capacity of 550 seats – indoor and outdoor. The newest attraction of the store is the all-new bakery which will offer customers a true flavour of Sweden through its freshly baked bread and pastries available at affordable prices.
The range consists of some Swedish classics and other traditional baked goods such as rye bread, cinnamon bun, baguettes and croissants.
