Gulf Construction Online - IKEA opens region’s biggest store in Bahrain

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Ikea Bahrain ... the region’s largest.

IKEA opens region’s biggest store in Bahrain

01 October 2018

Swedish home furnishing giant IKEA has joined hands with Saudi-based Ghassan Ahmed Al Sulaiman Furniture Trading Company to open doors to the group’s largest store in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region in Bahrain offering more than 8,500 home furnishing products under one roof over a 37,000-sq-m retail area.

Located in Salmabad, the new two-storey IKEA Bahrain store boasts a 6,200-sq-m showroom, a 6,000-sq-m market hall, a 5,000 sq-m self-serve area and a 4,000-sq-m full-serve area. The facility will also include 50 room settings showcasing inspiring home furnishing solutions, and 1,200 parking spaces, of which 1,000 will be indoors.

The giant complex also houses a 650-seat restaurant, the biggest in the kingdom.

IKEA Bahrain also boasts a 220-sq-m play facility, Smaland (named after the small town in Sweden where Ikea started), that will ensure that customers have an enjoyable shopping experience as children are taken care of by IKEA staff, free of charge.

The store’s market hall features rugs to linens, picture frames to clocks, kitchen accessories to home lighting and even unique gifts.

Speaking at the launch, Ghassan Ahmed Al Sulaiman Furniture Trading Company CEO Saud Al Sulaiman said: “As is our motto – To create a better everyday life for the many people, IKEA Bahrain will have something for everyone, from home furnishing to food. With the opening of the store, people in the kingdom will now easily have access to affordable home furnishing solutions.”

He pointed out that the store’s USP was ‘sustainability at low prices.’ “All the products in the store are supported by price and product information that makes it easy for visitors to serve themselves. Customer involvement is how IKEA keeps its prices low,” he explained.

Keeping in line with the brand’s sustainability mission, the design of the Bahrain store features transparent roof hatches, minimised glazed areas, skylights, and solvent-free paints, store manager Fatima Gustafson explained.

“In addition, condensate recovery technologies and optimised water flow in lavatories will save 50 per cent of water consumed while an intelligent lighting control system will automatically control lighting levels to suit the outdoor environment,” she added.

A star attraction for families will be the restaurant that will serve a variety of hot and cold local and Swedish dishes.

As is the case in Saudi Arabia, the store in Bahrain will be operated by Ghassan Ahmed Al Sulaiman Furniture Trading Company Limited. Under the group, IKEA has opened several stores in Saudi Arabia.