Today IKEA Nice Saint-Isidore, the first ‘blue box’ IKEA store in Nice, opened the doors to its customers. The opening was symbolically marked with a ceremony in the presence of Walter Kadnar, CEO of IKEA France, Patrick Cazorla, Store Manager, Jesper Brodin, CEO of Ingka Group, H.E. Håkan Åkesson, Ambassador of Sweden in France and other dignitaries.
Conveniently connected to the rest of the city, the 36th IKEA store in France reflects the company’s ambition to become more convenient to its customers with an affordable and sustainable offer of products and services. In more than 24,000 square meters the store has 51 inspirational room settings that reflect IKEA’s findings into how people on the French riviera live and what are their main home furnishing needs. Advanced sustainability features were implemented during its construction, including locally planted species on the roof as well as solar panels that will produce 40% of the store’s energy needs.
“We are very pleased to open our new store in France and bring our well-designed products that combine form, function, quality, sustainability, and low price to this part of France. This is an important step in our development in the French market, and we will continue bringing the world of physical and online retailing even closer,” said Patrick Cazorla, CEO of IKEA France.
The store in Nice employs more than 360 mostly locally hired co-workers who will assist customers with knowledge and inspiration and try to make their home furnishing desires a reality. For the first time, the store offers a ‘drive-through’ for the bistro offer, for customers to easily taste IKEA’s iconic products on the go.
“Our founder Ingvar Kamprad and the first generations of IKEA leaders were hoping for a day when we will manage to bring IKEA to the many people in this lovely region. Today, this dream has become a reality,” said Jesper Brodin, CEO of Ingka Group.
Ingka Group, the largest IKEA retailer, announced recently that it will accelerate expansion by investing more than EUR 3 billion in new and existing stores by the end of next year. The new investment reflects the ongoing retail transformation and the company’s unchanged ambition to get closer to where customers are, while navigating global disruptions caused by the war in Ukraine and the pandemic.
The company will continue focusing its expansion investments in new physical stores – such as the one opened in Nice today – as well as in revamping existing ones for a more immersive IKEA experience and to further support the increasing demand for home deliveries.
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