Jebel Ali to house Dubai's second Ikea store

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.

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. 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. 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.
"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, MD 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 Development (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, vice chairman of Al-Futtaim, at the ground-breaking ceremony on Monday morning. "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."
"As a privately-owned company guided by an entrepreneurial spirit, we always take a long-term view of the market by planning ahead, and this project firmly positions our retail footprint in a high growth potential area of Dubai slated to witness a population growth spurt during the build up to Expo 2020 and well beyond," he said.
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 Q1, 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 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 world-class 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, so 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."
- rohma@khaleejtimes.com