Ikea arrives in Mexico on April 8
Photo: El País
The Swedish furniture company will open a 23,500 square meter store in Mexico, the Covid-19 pandemic crisis has affected and delayed the opening several times.
The opening of the store in Mexico was scheduled for last October, however, because of the restrictions implemented by the pandemic, the event had to be postponed. The new store will have 23,500 square meters, 300 employees and will be a new model for the company.
Opening a store of Ikea's dimensions in the middle of a pandemic has been an enormous challenge. The arrival of the company in Mexico was announced in 2019 and was expected to be ready in 2020, however, the red light in the city and the rise in infections suspended the works of the store, which will be located near the International Airport of Mexico City, this will be the first of three stores planned in this country.
The opening date was postponed six times, so the store started online operations, however, also in this mode they have faced obstacles, as orders have been delayed and the stock of some furniture was very limited.
Ikea's sales manager and director in Mexico, Malcolm Pruys, reported that, due to the suspension of non-essential activities in the City, they lost almost three months in the progress for the inauguration. Pruys said that people in Mexico are very excited and they do not want to disappoint them, so, despite a staggered return to activities, many coronavirus tests to employees, and healthy distance in the construction area, they have finally announced the final date: April 8.
Some people have already made purchases in the Ikea online store, however, users have complained because there is low stock of many of the furniture, deliveries are incomplete due to shortages, and delivery dates have been extended more than expected.
In this regard, Pruys acknowledged that many of the materials used in the furniture are imported and have been stuck in the United States for long periods, despite this, they already have the largest stock since they arrived in Mexico and are ready for the long-awaited opening.
Pruys has been with the company for over 23 years and has been in charge of openings in Taiwan, China, among others, but he assures that this has been the biggest challenge of his career due to the complications of the pandemic, but it has been achieved thanks to the hard-working, dedicated and self-sacrificing team.
As of today, Ikea has hired 300 employees to work in the physical store, 25% of whom live in the same area where the store is located, so a quarter of the workforce will be able to walk to work, a rare situation in Mexico City. Pruys reported that they want to stay as local as possible and include Mexicans as a workforce. There are already 65 workers in the company's management offices, and they expect between 90 and 100.
The new and first store in Mexico will have a slightly different model than the stores in the United States or Europe, as it is located in a more central area of the city and not on the outskirts, the facilities will be smaller and will focus more on the online store. In addition, they will have an innovative product, Ikea-branded furniture, and property insurance, which will protect homes from fire, theft, earthquakes, or hurricanes.
Due to the pandemic, customers must schedule their visit to the store through Ikea's official website.
Besides the upcoming opening of the store in Mexico City, there are plans to open two more in the country, one in Puebla and the other in Monterrey. The first one will be smaller, and they plan to hire 120 people. The second one has not yet defined its location and dimensions. In the rest of Latin America, stores are already under construction in Chile, Colombia, and Peru.
Source: Varela, Micaela. (24 de marzo de 2021). Ikea aterriza en México con la apertura de su primera tienda el 8 de abril. 2 de abril de 2021, de El País Sitio web: https://elpais.com/mexico/2021-03-25/ikea-aterriza-en-mexico-con-la-apertura-de-su-primera-tienda-el-8-de-abril.html
