Ikea opens first Middle East distribution centre in Dubai

Swedish furniture company Ikea has opened its first Middle East distribution centre in Dubai as part of its regional expansion plans.

The Dubai South facility, which boasts 100,000 square metres of storage space, will serve Ikea’s seven Gulf Cooperation Council stores in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Riyadh, Jeddah, Dhahran and Kuwait City.

It features 120,000 cubic metres of racking and eight levels of storage.

The company said it would take more than 10,000 steps to walk around the new facility, which is the size of 20 football pitches.

“Today IKEA Group is writing one more important chapter of its history with the opening of its first direct investment in the Middle East,” said IKEA DC Dubai managing director Abdeldaziz Kadri, at the opening on Sunday.

“The new distribution centre will enable the company to deliver fast-moving products more efficiently to stores across the GCC, lowering handling costs as well as shipment times.”

The distribution centre employs 200 workers and is expected to generate opportunities for local suppliers and improve product availability, IKEA said.