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Swedish furniture giant Ikea says it will open its first new format store in the centre of Paris on May 6 as part of a global strategy to meet changing shopping habits by opening smaller stores in central areas of cities, Reuters reports.
Until now, Ikea’s stores have been built on the edge of cities, but the company wants to shift its business model due to mounting competition and more demanding customers who are less willing to travel that far to reach Ikea stores.
France is Ikea’s third largest market after Germany and the US. The new store, located near the Paris Opera, will have a 5,400 sqm surface spread over two levels.
Ikea employs over 10,000 people in France and last year’s sales rose 3 percent to EUR 2.82 billion.