Dubai: Swedish furniture brand IKEA today announced details of its new store that will open in December, becoming the biggest IKEA in the UAE.
Spread across 35,000 square metres including a 5,000 square metres training area for IKEA employees, the store promises to use digital integration to allow for a more intuitive shopping experience for its customers.
Based in Al-Futtaim’s Festival Plaza in Dubai South, the project will appeal mainly to the nearby communities including Jebel Ali, Dubai Marina, Barsha, Sufouh, Sports city, JLT, JVC, DIP, and all the new areas in the up and coming Dubai South.
Digital shopping in-store
The new store will implement several solutions designed to provide an easy and convenient shopping experience to customers. Home planning wall projectors allow customers to be able to easily visualize products in their home and make decisions around elements including rug sizes and mattress selection.
Throughout the main showroom, digital signage and projector solutions will provide customers with information about the range of products available as well as serving as a guide through the store. Customers can use a self-service kiosk in the restaurant driveway or a self-ordering terminal at a table to access the restaurant menu and order a meal.
Vinod Jayan, Managing Director – IKEA UAE, Egypt and Oman, said, "At IKEA we are committed to creating a positive impact on people, society and the planet by making sustainable living affordable, attractive and accessible. For many people in the UAE, building a home is one of the key factors to building their life here so our commitment with our new store is to make that an enjoyable experience for all and more accessible in the significant area of Dubai South.”
“Celebrating 28 years in Dubai, we consider the UAE home to many of our success stories and have so much to offer in our area of expertise to our customers. The opening of the new store is another key milestone on our journey here and we look forward to welcoming you all”, he concluded.
Sustainable shopping
IKEA always looks for innovative solutions to enable people to live more sustainably at home and help them reduce waste, save energy and conserve natural resources. Bringing this to life, the new store will include a number of sustainability innovations.
Solar panels will enable the store to receive 20 per cent of its power from solar energy, while efficient AC units and lights with motion-based control will help save energy that could power more than 400 homes yearly. IKEA also recycles 90 per cent of its dry operational waste annually. IKEA’s target is to use only renewable or recycled materials for its products by 2030.
With a multitude of retail, dining and entertainment options, Festival Plaza will serve as a convenient and family lifestyle mall easily accessible from Shaikh Zayed Road, fifteen minutes from Dubai Marina and Palm Jumeirah and a few minutes away from RTA Energy Metro Station.
