Ikea Malaysia is finally to open its second store – nearly 20 years after the Swedish brand debuted in the country.

The new store will be 20 per cent larger than the existing outlet in Mutiara Damansara and is scheduled to open by December.

Ikea Malaysia opened its first store at 1 Utama Shopping Mall in 1996. After seven years it moved to its own standalone location at nearby Damansara which, when it opened, was the largest Ikea in Asia.

“We are excited to confirm that the Ikea store in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, is set to open by the end of 2015, located at Jalan Cochran,” said Mike King, retail director of Ikea Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

“The opening of Ikea Cheras is part of our overall expansion plan across southeast Asia in order to make Swedish home furnishings that are affordable, well-designed, functional and good quality available to everyone.”

King said construction has already begun and the company is starting to focus on the interior fittings and operational setup of the store.

Ikea in Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore is operated by Ikano Pte Ltd.