Ikea finally coming to Cairo

UAE-based well-diversified group Al Futtaim will open its much-delayed Ikea store in Cairo, Egypt, in the next quarter, a senior company official said on Wednesday.

John Kersten, Managing Director of Ikea UAE, Qatar, Egypt and Oman, said the group will open an  Ikea outlet in the troubled Egyptian capital of Cairo "by the end of this year despite problems in the country". The Ikea outlet was planned to open late last year.

Kersten said the group is also planning another store in Muscat, Oman, but it is at a very initial stage.

Quoting a company spokesperson, Reuters said earlier this month that Al Futtaim has suspended work on its Cairo Festival City project due to ongoing unrest in Egypt. The project includes an Ikea outlet, a Carrefour hypermarket and over 300 retail stores as well as a 17-screen cinema complex.

Ikea UAE has also recalled faulty children’s beds to avoid any likely injury to users after two breakages were reported. The company said it had received seven reports of breakage of the metal rod connecting the guardrail to the bed frame.

A broken rod could expose sharp metal edges, presenting a laceration hazard. There have been no reports of any injuries caused by breakage of the metal rod.

Speaking at the launch of its 62nd annual catalogue, Kersten said the group posted 15 per cent sales growth in the first half of this year in the UAE, matching the last year’s growth rate.

Almost a million copies of the catalogue are available for the UAE, of which 790,000 will be distributed door to door. A digital version of the catalogue can be viewed online.

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.