Cyprus-Forum.com

[Cyprus Vending]

THE CYPRUS branch of international low-cost furniture store IKEA will open in Nicosia on September 6 – one day later than previously announced.

If the press conference is anything to go by, IKEA’s products will be modern, aesthetically pleasing and slightly difficult to assemble. Despite the user-friendliness boasted by the Swedish company, members of the media needed about 20 minutes to prepare a simple chair and others were not able to get a table up off the Hilton floor.

The official date was announced at an elaborate news conference yesterday. The island is one of three new European locations where IKEA is opening its doors to in 2007.

The budget retail furniture store will be located in the Shacolas Emporium Park in Latsia and will employ up to 500 people, said Voula Tsangarides, Communications & PR director of Marketway Advertising. Though it hasn’t even opened its doors, the store currently has 300 hundred employees.

As well as the 20,000m2 IKEA store, the park will also accommodate the highly anticipated ‘Mall of Cyprus’, food and clothing outlets, a cinema and two other retail buildings. As part of its philosophy, the store aims to be family-friendly offering a restaurant, play area and 800 parking spaces.

IKEA’s concept is to provide affordable and modern quality furniture that consumers put together themselves, though an optional delivery and assembly service will be available. The privately owned retailer, founded in Sweden in 1943, has already taken Western Europe and the US by storm. With stores in 35 countries, the company is an international household name. Half a billion consumers have visited IKEA’s 260 stores worldwide. It has opened two stores in Greece. Along with the 40 million euro Cyprus store, a second Athens branch is expected to open within the next year.

The Swedish furniture giant prides itself in its philosophy of “honest pricing.” “You do your part, we do our part and together we save money,” IKEA officials stated at yesterday’s news conference.

The IKEA brand maintains a fixed international consumer based policy ensuring that prices generally remain the same – and “as low as possible” – in all branches throughout the year, said Tsangarides.

She added that: “There might be a slight difference in some countries depending on taxes, transportation, etc. It is safe to say that the prices in Cyprus will be comparable with those in Greece.”

The Greece and Cyprus IKEA stores are owned by Greek franchise group Fourlis, the company’s president, Vassilis Fourlis, attended the new conference and will reportedly be at the Cyprus store’s opening.

[k'n'G]

Fantastic, just the news I was hoping for - thank you !

[paliometoxo]

thnx or the info