Ikea Thailand chooses second Bangkok site

Ikea Thailand has revealed plans for its second store in Bangkok.

The 40,000 sqm store will be built adjacent to the new CentralPlaza Westgate shopping mall under construction in Bangyai, in Nonthaburi province in Bangkok’s west.

The new Ikea will open in 2017, accessible from but separate to the Westgate mall, a US$420 million ‘super regional mall’ which will host 500 retailers, restaurants and entertainment facilities.

Ikea Thailand’s first store is connected to the Megabangna shopping centre, but the new outlet will feature greater integration with the mall proper than any other Ikea in the world, accessible on multiple levels.

Christian Rojkjaer, MD of Ikano, the Ikea franchisee for Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, says co-locating with major shopping centres is successful for the brand in Asia.

“Thai people seem to prefer coming to Ikea together with other shopping destinations,” he said.

“The store concept of Ikea at CentralPlaza Westgate will be different from Ikea Megabangna,” he told the Bangok Post newspaper.

“It will have a better integration with the shopping mall, and this will be the first Ikea store in the world to use this concept.”

CentralPlaza Westgate is being developed by Central Pattana and is scheduled to open on August 28 this year.

Ikea plans to open a third stores in Thailand within the next five years, the third planned for another Central Pattana property, CentralPlaza in Bangkok’s northern suburbs.

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