Swedish furniture giant Ikea marked the start of construction for its first store in Northern Malaysia, promising to satisfy Penangites’ hunger for affordable home furnishings – and those famous Swedish meatballs!
The new Ikea in Malaysia will be located at Batu Kawan, Penang and will open its doors in 2019, putting a blue-box Ikea store within a one-hour drive of more than 825,000 households in Penang.
“It will be easy for millions of people to access the thousands of functional, affordable home furnishing products we have in our IKEA range – not to mention our Swedish meatballs!” said Christian Rojkjaer, Managing Director of IKEA Southeast Asia.
“We have seen people from Penang driving more than 350 kilometres to shop at IKEA in Kuala Lumpur. This store in Batu Kawan will make it easy for them to come for a great day out”.
Christian Rojkjaer, Managing Director of IKEA Southeast Asia shares that the IKEA Batu Kawan store which spans 433,000 square feet will offer more Malaysians easier access to well-designed, functional and quality home furnishing at affordable prices.
The Swedish home furnishing retailer is an important part of Aspen Vision City, a mixed-use development that promises to transform Batu Kawan into a vibrant community with condominiums, a financial hub, a school and parkland among others. The long-term development plan calls for IKEA to be integrated into a large shopping centre.
IKEA is like a magnet for Batu Kawan,” said Lim Guan Eng, the Chief Minister of Penang and keynote speaker at the groundbreaking ceremony.
“The store will not only attract millions of shoppers – it will bring hundreds of new jobs, create spin-off business for suppliers, draw in tourists and new investors,” the Minister said. “Attracting IKEA to our state has long been a key part of our plan to make Penang an international and intelligent state that is also an attractive destination where people live, learn, work and play.”
At more than 433,000 square feet (39,979 square metres), IKEA Batu Kawan will create great day out for millions of visitors each year and help IKEA Southeast Asia realise its vision: to create a better everyday life for the many people in this region.