At last: IKEA store will open on February 1 at Blockbuster Mall

This information is confirmed by RAU sources in the market, as well as photos posted by users on social chains, where the outlet looks ready to open. Earlier, the first object in Ukraine of the Swedish brand in the City Store format was promised to open in the capital’s Blockbuster Mall by 2020 end.

A standard IKEA hypermarket occupies an area of ​​tens of thousands square meters, and it is usually located outside the city. But since 2018, the company has begun to develop small formats of retail outlets that will be open in cities’ central districts. You can get to know more about the new format of the IKEA city store using the example of the Warsaw SEC Blue City. The similar format will be in the Blockbuster Mall.

The Ukrainian facility of Europe’s largest operators of household goods and comfort has not officially begun work yet. But photographs show that the store is already fully ready to receive visitors, and the announcement promises to “open this entrance at the first opportunity.” The store’ technical opening has already taken place according to RAU data. And officially the trade point of one of most anticipated retail operators will begin work on Monday, February 1.

The store square will be about 5,000 sq. m. Initially, the Swedes planned to open a point of this format in 2019 autumn in the SEC Ocean Mall, which is located on Lybidskaya Square next to the SEC Ocean Plaza. But the mall was never opened and plans to enter the Ukrainian market had to be revised again. As a result, in 2020 summer, after the not entirely successful launch of the online-store, an agreement was signed with the Blockbuster Mall. And the store in the new concept was to take first visitors by the 2020 end according to the plan. Quarantine restrictions and all SEC closure for visitors from January 8 to January 25 forced to be postponed opening dates once again, albeit only by a month.

As a reminder, first rumors about IKEA entering the Ukrainian market appeared in 2005. But 15 years later, the perspective was still ambiguous. The official IKEA online-store began work in Ukraine on May 14, 2020. But already in first hours after the launch, the users’ influx significantly complicated the portal’s work. So far, IKEA offers Ukrainian buyers an assortment about 3,600 affordable products and solutions for the home.

By 2021 beginning, the retailer opened three points for the online-orders’ issuing in Kiev: in the SEC Rive Gauche, the Metro hypermarket on the Ring Road and in the SEC Lavina Mall.

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