Swedish IKEA may open its first outlet in Ukraine in 2018 – media

The Swedish-founded furniture giant IKEA Group headquartered in Delft (the Netherlands) may open its first outlet in Ukraine before the end of 2018.

Read alsoSwedish IKEA mulling over entering Ukraine"With regard to IKEA, the company is very cautious after [announcing] all the milestones in Ukraine... They are very cautious about public statements... IKEA will be entering [the Ukrainian market] using a 'light' option... Perhaps the first [IKEA store in Ukraine] will appear before the end of the year. It's an optimistic scenario," the economic news outlet Delo.ua quoted a source familiar with the situation as saying.

There are two options for IKEA's entry into the Ukrainian market, the source says.

"Either to follow a former scheme, that is to look for a plot of land, build a large mall and wait two or three years... or to enter the market, renting large shopping areas, a big online store, and a big warehouse... They have already begun to test this format, which will allow the company to enter Ukraine much faster," the source added.

As was earlier reported, in December 2017, IKEA officially announced its plans to enter the Ukrainian market within one or two years.