Al-Futtaim Group opens doors to the new IKEA store at Dubai Festival City

The 24,500 square metres store, UAE's largest retail outlet, is the first retail outlet within DFC to be opened to the public. The new store offers parking for 1,200 vehicles, a 300-seating restaurant, first-of -its-kind Swedish Foodmarket along with an increased workforce to provide customers with unparalleled levels of service.

Speaking at the opening, Mr. Omar Al-Futtaim, CEO, Al-Futtaim Group said,

"It gives me great pleasure to open IKEA's largest store in the Middle East. I am also delighted that the Swedish Ambassador and the COO of IKEA could be part of this special occasion. At the Al-Futtaim Group it has been a tradition to provide our customers with the best brands and services and the new IKEA store endorses that commitment."

"IKEA's store marks the opening of the first retail outlet in Dubai Festival City, Al-Futtaim Group's 'city-within-the-city' that aims to capture the finest from across the city and put it together in one place. The new size and facilities at IKEA surely echoes that endeavour and is set to bring to families within the UAE a whole new shopping experience," Mr. Omar further added.

With the opening of the new store, IKEA has brought to UAE the furnishing brand's true concept of self-service that is reflected at IKEA stores across the globe. Continuing the brand's well-known message of "Big on Ideas, Low on Prices", the new store has 54-room sets for customers to visualize IKEA's furnishing concepts whilst providing ideas to furnish their homes. The regularly refreshed room-sets will provide customers inspiration which can be further complemented with the huge self-serve area from where individuals can, in reality, take home 90% of the products the very same day.

Bringing to life IKEA's globally known mechanical sales concept, all products have been tagged with prices and comprehensive product information, simplifying a customer's selections process. The product price tags additionally indicate the self-serve areas, many of which have been flat-packed to further assist in price reduction of the products whilst making it easier to cart and self-deliver.

Housed at Dubai Festival City's Retail Park, the new IKEA store is the largest retail outlet in UAE. To meet the needs of the ever increasing customer flow, the store sports 22-cashier counters and a team of 300 well-trained staff to assist customers with queries while advising them on their purchases. In addition, for customers that enjoy a meal at the IKEA restaurant, indulgence can now be more frequent as the new store restaurant has seating arrangements for 300 people.

Furthermore, to celebrate its enhanced setup, the new IKEA store has the first-of-its-kind Swedish Foodmarket, a special addition that will bring to UAE a variety of typical Scandinavian food for families to savour and enjoy.

Mr. Hans Skalin, Director Supervisory Board, Inter IKEA Systems Holding B.V. said, "I am extremely happy to be here at a milestone moment for IKEA in the UAE. With the new size and the global standalone concept, residents of UAE can now acquaint themselves with the true IKEA concept. It's a rewarding feeling to see IKEA's popularity in UAE, a market that reflects a vibrant mix of nationalities, tastes and lifestyles. Over the years, customers have assured us their confidence and the new store at DFC is IKEA's way of rewarding them for it."