IKEA confirms plan to open first Irish store

FURNITURE retailer IKEA will finally open the doors of its first shop in Ireland next year.

The Swedish company, best known for its flat pack furniture, yesterday confirmed it will open a 30,500sq metre store in Ballymun, north Dublin.

The announcement has been expected for some time. It is just over a year since Environment Minister Dick Roche changed planning laws to allows the development of massive superstores in certain areas.

There had been a number of objections to the lifting of the cap on store sizes, fearing many Irish firms will be squeezed out of the market by retail giants such as IKEA.

IKEA manager Theresa Daly said its stores were larger because of the range of products on offer (in the region of 10,000), extensive displays and a massive warehouse attached to the store.

Planning permission for the project will be lodged in the next few weeks.

“Once we lodge the application, then there is a five-week period for anyone to object,” Ms Daly said.

If the project is not held up at the planning stage, IKEA hopes to have the shop open in early 2007.

Ms Daly said the shop will directly employ 500 people. It is working with FÁS and Ballymun Regeneration Limited to get around 50% of workers recruited from the Ballymun area.

The IKEA stores will have a 500-seat restaurant, creche facilities and a food hall.

To cope with the extra traffic expected when the shop opens, changes to the local transport network have been proposed.

The local county council has approved an upgrade of the M50, with a dedicated junction for the development lands surrounding the Ballymun Regeneration area. The access road to the shop will also be realigned.

The company said: “We have been very careful to ensure our store is planned and will operate in such a way as to avoid any potential for further congestion ... our stores do not open until 10am when morning rush hour is passed and we stay open until 10pm on weekdays so customers can avoid the evening rush hour.”

Ms Daly said IKEA are planning no further openings in Ireland, though she believed customers from around the country will travel to the Dublin store.