Jebel Ali to house Dubai’s 2nd Ikea store
dubai — Ikea shoppers in Dubai will soon be spoiled for choice, as the city gets ready to welcome its second Ikea store.
Located in Jebel Ali, close to the main Abu Dhabi-Dubai highway, the new 30,000sqm Ikea store will feature additional restaurant concepts, and coffee shops for visitors. With the popularity of Ikea’s restaurant, an in-store bakery will also be introduced.
Set to open in 2019, there will also be special focus in developing a high level sustainable store, which will be home to an international training centre for the Ikea family. This second Ikea store will also be embracing digital integration via a mobile application that will allow customers to make purchases by scanning the products at the store, and having them delivered straight to their doorstep.
“After celebrating 25 years in the UAE, we realised that there is a warm love for Ikea products, and we wished to increase the convenience for our loyal customers. This is why we decided on a second store in Dubai. There is going to be a main focus on developing high level sustainables, something which is very important to us,” said John Kersten, managing director of Ikea.
The new Ikea store is part of a mixed-use development by Al-Futtaim, which plans to expand its retail offering through the development of a new mall. The company has broken ground on the development of a 78,500sqm site, which forms part of the Jebel Ali Develop- ment (JAD) mixed-use master planned community.
With over 2,000 parking spaces, the mall will also serve as a convenient community mall for the quickly growing Jebel Ali catchment especially appealing to the residential communities in Jebel Ali, Dubai Marina and those travelling from Abu Dhabi.
“We have been waiting for a long time to get the best location, and we could not have asked for a better location than where we are today,” said Omar Al Futtaim, vicechairman of Al-Futtaim, at the ground-breaking ceremony on Monday. “This project is going to be really special, and a landmark destination for all our customers. This mall is going to be a smart mall that utilises a lot of sustainable technology including solar power and LEDs for maximum energy efficiency. The project will also help us reduce our carbon footprint, which is really important for us as a group.”
Alongside Ikea, an additional 100 retail stores are also being leased, alongside a food court and café-style dining, entertainment, a large hypermarket and Al-Futtaim Ace hardware store — all set to be completed by first quarter of 2019. The new Ace outlet will also be a concept store not seen before in Dubai, offering more than 33,000 products including exclusive ranges for Ace, worx power tools, Addis home products, and Broil King barbeque brands. In addition, it will feature an in-store cafe and garden centre with plants
This mall is going to be a smart mall that utilises a lot of sustainable technology including solar power and LEDs for maximum energy efficiency Omar Al Futtaim, Vice-chairman of Al-Futtaim and accessories for the perfect garden. Al-Futtaim has also announced a strategic partnership with wasl properties, a subsidiary of wasl Asset Management Group, that will see the development of wasl Gate. The plans will include 1,457 homes, accompanied by a lifestyle oriented hospitality and entertainment offering, a worldclass sports complex, K-12 schools with international curriculums, and a central park connecting the community’s commercial and residential neighbourhoods.
Marc Hewitt, chief development officer at wasl Asset Management Group, said the primary focus for the first phase of wasl Gate is modern, attractive residences designed for young professionals and families.
“We are delighted to be working in partnership with Al-Futtaim. The second phase will see the expansion of the development to include more living and leisure spaces, including landscaped parks, a sports centre, showroom spaces, and park-side residential offerings.”