IKEA launches Ukrainian website and names director, plans to open first store by end-2019

IKEA has launched a website for its Ukrainian customers, writes UNIAN with reference to the press service.

In addition, the company has kicked off the hiring process (100 employees) for its first urban store in Kyiv.

The first Ukrainian location will be opened by the end of 2019. The company promises to sell there up to 6,000 products. According to UNIAN, the store will work in the shopping center Ocean Mall, which has not yet been put into operation. However, according to NV Business which is citing three sources, the first IKEA store will kick off in Blockbuster Mall shopping and entertainment center of Vagif Aliyev’s Mandarin Plaza Group. The launch at Ocean Mall was canceled due to delays in the deadline.

There is no product range on the Ukrainian site yet. Currently, it displays the company’s history, a form for submitting a CV, and information about the Ukrainian team.

So far, IKEA has information about two employees. Florian Mellet, a Frenchman, has been appointed as a director of IKEA Retail Ukraine, and Viktoriya Novokhatsky (previously worked at Shell and Volvo Trucks) appointed as HR manager.

The site reads that Mellet will work on expanding the IKEA network following the launch of the first store. The locations of other stores have not been disclosed. Earlier, Vagif Aliyev said that the second 30k sq.m. store will be opened in the Lesnoy shopping center in Kyiv, at Brovarsky Avenue, in early 2020.

In addition, IKEA has signed a five-year logistics and goods delivery contract with Nova Poshta.