KUCHING: IKEA Malaysia will open its first store in East Malaysia, IKEA Kuching, in December, marking the retailer’s first small-format outlet and its next chapter of expansion in the region.
The new store builds on IKEA’s existing e-commerce and fulfilment presence in Sarawak, giving customers the chance to experience IKEA’s home furnishing range in person, closer to home, IKEA Malaysia said in a statement today (Aug 24).
“We have heard from our customers in Sarawak, and we are excited that IKEA Kuching will soon be ready to welcome them,” said IKEA Malaysia Country retail director Malcolm Pruys in the statement.
“IKEA Kuching brings us another step closer to create a better everyday life by making the IKEA experience more accessible and relevant to how people here live at home,” he added.
Unlike IKEA’s four larger stores in Malaya, IKEA Kuching will use a compact, small-format layout featuring inspiring room settings and a selection of products available for same-day purchase, alongside access to a wider product range.
Ahead of the opening, IKEA said its team visited local households in Kuching to understand how families live, finding that homes in the city are shaped strongly by family, togetherness and hospitality, with storage and organisation a common challenge.
“People in Kuching already know IKEA, but we want them to walk into IKEA Kuching and also recognise something of their own life at home,” Pruys added.
IKEA Malaysia said it will also begin engaging the local community to build its Kuching co-worker team ahead of the store’s opening.
