IN line with its vision to "Creating a better everyday life for the many people" and its commitment to become ever more accessible to its customers, IKEA has inaugurated three new locations in the third week of May — a new store at Al Salaam Mall in Jeddah, and two Order and Collection Points (OCPs) in Qassim and Kharj. The three openings, which are part of an elaborate expansion plan by IKEA Saudi Arabia, took place on the May 22, 23 and 25 respectively. The move represents the first milestone in IKEA Saudi Arabia's expansion plan across the Kingdom, and is part of IKEA's commitment towards its customers to provide them with exciting home furnishings offers and more convenient and enjoyable shopping experiences from their favourite brand. IKEA is also reaching out to many people Kingdomwide through its Shop Online as part of its omni-channel experience, and its newly developed IKEA Saudi Retail App which provides customers easy and convenient shopping experience whether online or in store. Commenting on these major new developments, IKEA Saudi Arabia CEO Saud Al Sulaiman said: "We are always committed to getting closer to our customers, giving them a chance to enjoy a more convenient and comfortable life at home. Despite market challenges today, this bold move is evidence to IKEA's belief in the Kingdom's strong economy and the vigour of the retail industry. "The opening of a new IKEA store in Al Salaam Mall and two Order and Collection Points in Qassim and Kharj reflects our promise of making IKEA even more accessible to households in these cities and providing them the option to shop through different ways however and whenever they want." The new IKEA store at Al Salaam Mall spans over 25,500 m2 and is located at the intersection of King Abdullah Road and Prince Majid Road (route 70), north of the University of King Abdulaziz. The new IKEA store at Al Salaam Mall, one of Jeddah's main commercial centres, caters to the needs of customers in the city's southern part, hosting a showroom, a restaurant, and a market hall — all on one floor. It is a new destination that complements the family friendly experience provided by Al Salaam Mall, offering customers enhanced shopping experiences with a wide range of home furnishing designs and solutions at affordable prices. The store displays the full IKEA range with more than 7,000 articles. It has a play area for up to 100 children, and a restaurant that welcomes 400 people and serves a variety of delicious Swedish and international dishes. Adding to the customers' convenience, there is the complete customer journey from the ‘wow' moment till the ‘how' moment — including usual services offered from home furnishing advice and planning, kitchen services, self-service, delivery & assembly, along with complementary benefits, such as 0% instalment plan & 90 days exchange and return policy. Also building on its promise to be closer to its customers no matter where they are in the Kingdom, the Order and Collection Points in Qassim and Kharj represent a whole new format and shopping experience. Order and collection points offer similar services as the main IKEA store, including exchanges and returns, sale and planning assistance, and other services such as delivery and assembly. Customers who have shopped from the order & collection points are able to collect their orders for free from 48 hours or have it delivered to their doorsteps for a reasonable fee. IKEA customers in Qassim and Kharj will be able to browse IKEA's website for a wide range of IKEA articles via the self-ordering area inside the Order and Collection Point, where they can place an order online and pick up their items at the Order and Collection Point in their area, at their own convenience. Once the order is made from these points, customers will receive a notification to either collect the items from the Order and Collection Points or even have them delivered. The Shop Online and the order and collection points go hand in hand to provide existing and potential customers with better accessibility and services. On the community level, IKEA Saudi Arabia has been selected the best retail brand for employer of choice exceeding in KSA for 2016, exceeding 55% today and aiming to reach 70%. IKEA continues its pledge towards young Saudi nationals, as this new milestone will create 600 jobs and a further 6000 on the long run - providing them with opportunities to join one of the region's leading retailers and work in a balanced and friendly work environment. IKEA Saudi Arabia, the leading home furnishings retailer in the region and a member of the Ghassan Ahmed Al Sulaiman Furnishing Co. Ltd, offers an affordable and extensive range of home furnishing products of good design, value, and functionality. Since the opening of the first IKEA store in Jeddah in 1983, IKEA has expanded its Saudi operations to Riyadh and Dhahran with plans for further expansion. All three stores closely follow the popular self-serve, self-assembly concept and feature a wide array of inspiring designs and home furnishing solutions.
