The first Ikea store in Thailand and the biggest in Southeast Asia will celebrate its roof capping today from 6:30-9:30pm with a traditional Swedish party under the theme of “Wholeheartedly Warm”. The event will mark the finish of the store’s main building and the beginning of the next step towards interior design and merchandise planning to get the world-famous Swedish home furnishings mega store alive and kicking by the end of the year.
“Ikea Bangna will be ready to provide customers with the ultimate Ikea experience on November 3,” said Tom Huzell, managing director of Ikano (Thailand) Ltd, the Ikea franchisee that holds licences for Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.
The highlight of the event will be the screening of a mockumentary made by Chulalongkorn University students that features the transformation of derelict street scenes into comfortable atmospheric spaces. There will also be an exhibition area showcasing the Ikea business model: To offer a wide range of well-designed and functional home furnishing products at low prices so as many people as possible can afford them.
“Consumers often think that low prices and good quality cannot go together, but Ikea can make it possible,” said Mr Huzell. “Our designers set out to create the most functional, beautiful and durable furnishings imaginable at the lowest price possible. Then we make a lot of them. The more we make, the less each unit costs. Finally, we pack everything in tight, flat packages in order to minimise transportation and storage costs.
“Our customers help us keep prices as low as possible by selecting products at the store, bringing them home and assembling them at home. They don’t have to pay for unnecessary help. These are small efforts that generate big savings.”
Located on Km 8 Bang Na-Trat Road, the low-rise Ikea mega store will offer 43,000 square metres of shopping area plus 1,300 parking spaces when finished. It will offer a large range of the famous Scandinavian well-designed, minimalist home furnishing products, as well as functional living solutions.
Ikea Thailand is part of the Mega Bangna Project that is strategically located on a 254-rai (40.6-hectare) plot of land where three major arterial highways intersect – Bang Na-Trat Road, Burapha Withi Elevated Highway and Outer Ring Road – some 6km from Suvarnabhumi Airport.
When completed, Mega Bangna will become Southeast Asia’s biggest lifestyle shopping destination. It will be home to more than 400 retailers including Ikea, 100 outdoor and indoor dining venues as well as banking services and more.
Operated under a family friendly concept, Ikea is the world’s No.1 home-furnishing retailer with 316 stores in 38 countries around the world. Each store offers more than 10,000 products.
