“Hey Medellín! That’s how we say hello in Swedish.” This short message, displayed on graphic pieces at the pedestrian entrance that connects the Viva Shopping Center with the Envigado Metro station, warns of the proximity of the opening of the third IKEA store in Colombia.
In the physical space of 18 thousand square meters, dozens of teams of workers work long hours with the purpose of making all the adjustments required for the inauguration of the new warehouse of this multinational of Swedish origin.
The first branch of this home furniture chain in the country opened in September 2023, in Bogotá; and the second, in May of this year, in Cali. According to company spokespeople, the Envigado store will be operational before the end of 2024.
“We will have a wide range of products for the home and decoration with a line of low-cost furniture that is made with a concept that we call ‘democratic design’ and that has a lot of functionality for customers,” said Carlos Eduardo Ocampo Silva, manager of the IKEA store in Antioquia.
300 employees in different areas such as customer service, payment registration and food will be employed at the IKEA store in Envigado
With 81 years of history, this global giant has 458 stores in more than 50 countries. As part of its expansion plan implemented since 2022, the firm plans to invest US$600 million to open nine stores in Latin America.
The firm’s first warehouse on the continent opened in 2010 in the Dominican Republic; since 2021, the brand has been established in Mexico and two years ago, in an alliance with Falabella, the European multinational has been in Chile. After Colombia, IKEA’s next destination will be Peru.
“We are a nation with great potential and a cultural diversity that caught the attention of the Swedish company. We have our own brand with low-priced products manufactured with principles of environmental sustainability. We want to share our entire offering with the public in this wonderful country,” said María Claudia Mejía Velásquez, Home Furniture Design and Retail Manager at IKEA.
Applying the concept of “democratic design”, the company works with local suppliers to create furniture and functional pieces, which results in more affordable prices for its customers.
The company continues with the recruitment phase of 300 employees required for the Envigado store. The brand’s management in Colombia explained that on www.ikea.com.co “Join our team”, there are still vacancies available in areas such as customer service, cash registers and restaurant.