Yesterday, Ian Daffy, president of IKEA Asia Pacific, the world's largest homeware retailer, said that in the fiscal year 2006 (September 1, 2005 through August 31, 2006), IKEA sales in China increased by 30% year-on-year. In the fiscal year 2007, IKEA will open fourth and fifth stores in China in Chengdu and Shenzhen.
As of yesterday, IKEA had 239 IKEA stores in 34 countries and regions around the world. In 1998, 1999 and 2005, IKEA established three stores in China in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou.
At present, the IKEA Shanghai store has an operating area of ​​33,000 square meters, which is the first standard store for IKEA in China. On April 12 this year, the IKEA Beijing Siyuanqiao new store opened with a business area of ​​43,000 square meters, which is the second largest in the world. The standard store is second only to Stockholm, the world’s largest store in Sweden.
In October last year, IKEA opened its third store in China, Guangzhou Tianhe Store, with a business area of ​​16,000 square meters. Compared with Beijing and Shanghai stores, the operating area is obviously small, and it is a leased property, unlike Beijing. Shanghai's purchase of land self-built stores.
“Like Beijing and Shanghai stores, IKEA needs a certain amount of time to familiarize consumers in Guangzhou. Relocating a large standard store in Guangzhou is a priority for IKEA China,†said Ian Daffy, IKEA. The Chengdu store will be completed and opened at the end of this year. Within the fiscal year 2007, the IKEA store in Shenzhen will also officially open 28,000 square meters of open space.