A second store could also be opened in Bucharest, probably in the southern area, but there is no final project and no time frame for this 20,000 square meter unit, Oprisan said.
IKEA opened its first 26,000 sqm store in northern Bucharest in March in the Baneasa commercial district. According to company officials, sales in the first three weeks of operation amounted to worth €5 million, remaining high, and now exceeding €18 million.
"We hope to launch three projects this fall. We are in the process of purchasing three pieces of land and the deal will be closed in the coming months. We will build two stores and a logistics center on these plots of land," Oprisan told Business Standard. He did not name the cities in which the stores will be operating, but said the company is interested in large cities, such as Constanta, Cluj-Napoca, Timisoara, and Brasov. The new units are likely to have a 20,000 sqm sales area, less than the first store in Bucharest. Investments in the two stores will total some €40 million. Funds needed for the logistics center have not yet been set. The investment will be made by Moaro Trading, the company owning the IKEA franchise in Romania.
Oprisan said the logistics center will be needed after the opening of the two new stores. "We have now solved problems relating to supplies. We have reduced to less than 4 percent the products we might not be able to deliver immediately to our clients." Ikea currently provides some 7,000 furniture products and household accessories.
