Thailand to have largest Ikea in SE Asia

Ikea Thailand will open the Swedish furniture brand’s largest Southeast Asian store in Bangkok next week.

In Bang Yai, Nonthaburi, it will be the second Ikea store to cater for the outlying districts in Bangkok’s northwest. It covers 50,278sqm, compared to the 46,700sqm of the Ikea Tebrau store in Johor, Malaysia, which was dubbed Southeast Asia’s largest Ikea when it opened in November.

Ikea Bang Yai is partially solar-powered. Its rooftop solar arrays are capable of producing 1.5 megawatts of electricity a year, or about 13 per cent of the building’s needs.

Unlike other Ikea outlets, the Bang Yai store has cashier stations on every floor. This new design enables shoppers who are short on time to get in and out of the store faster.

Ikea’s largest store is in South Korea. Opened in 2014, the Ikea Gwangmyeong covers 59,000sqm.