Dubai: Abu Dhabi-based developer Aldar Properties announced details of its construction of IKEA's flagship Mena store on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.
Aldar handed over the completed project to the Al Futtaim Group company on January 2 for final store fit-out ahead of the opening planned for this week.
The project was delivered ahead of schedule by a team of 3,100 workers with the precast steel building completed in 10 months.
The 33,000 square metre store with a total sales area of 19,150 square metres will be the largest IKEA store in the Mena region and expects to serve nearly 1.3 million visitors in the first year of operations.
Joining the hotels, leisure and entertainment attractions welcoming visitors since 2009, IKEA's flagship store is the first of Yas Island's wide-ranging retail offer culminating with the delivery of Yas Mall.
Shopping experience
A regional shopping mall with approximately 300,000 square metres of gross leasable area, Yas Mall will offer a complete shopping experience with the full spectrum of shops to suit all tastes and needs, from volume retail to high-end designer labels.
Yas Island's proximity to the main Abu Dhabi/Dubai highway, residential communities such as Khalifa City, Al Raha Gardens and Al Raha Beach, as well as the Shaikh Khalifa highway that connects Yas Island to Saadiyat Island and the main Abu Dhabi Island, make this IKEA store and the future retail offer ideally located to reach the maximum target audience.
Commenting on the delivery, Sami Asad, Aldar's chief executive officer, said: "We were delighted to hand over this flagship store to Al Futtaim and IKEA ahead of schedule."
