IKEA banking on positive economic sentiment to boost sales

IKEA hopes to ride on the positive Malaysian economic sentiment to boost its business, especially with its third soon-to-be-opened IKEA Tebrau store, the largest in Southeast Asia, on Nov 16, 2017.

Despite a challenging year, IKEA Southeast Asia retail director, Mike King, said the company has seen good growth from two of its stores in Kuala Lumpur.

"It has been a challenging year, but we believe that the economy will get stronger, particularly in Johor Bahru where we think growth is much quicker than the rest of Malaysia.

"I think it is a great time to open stores in Malaysia," he told reporters at IKEA Tebrau's media preview and roof capping event here today.

King said the Swedish home furnishing retailer has enjoyed great success since it made its presence here 20 years ago, attributing its success to having home furnishing products of great quality and affordability, as well as consumers' trust in the brand.

IKEA Tebrau is to showcase over 8,000 home furnishing products, as well as 54 Swedish-inspired showrooms spanning over 502,815 sq ft.

Located within a 20-minute drive from central Johor, IKEA Tebrau is accessible via the Pasir Gudang Highway and Senai-Desaru Expressway.

The store is currently undergoing the final phase of interior fittings, operational setup, merchandise planning and co-workers' training. -- Bernama