Ikea has opened its first store in Latvia. The biggest Ikea store in the Baltic states will offer more than 8,000 home furnishing products under one roof, from which almost 3,000 will cost less than €10. The store is located at the intersection of Juglas and Bikernieku streets and it is 15 minutes drive from Riga city centre.
“Ikea vision, which we are bringing to Latvia’s residents, is the promise to create a better everyday life for the many people. Offering almost 3000 home items from furniture to decorations for less than €10 shows our commitment to meet Latvia’s needs for functional, beautiful, qualitative and yet affordable furnishing. On top of that, we seek for the best customer experience, that is why part of our furniture will have up to 25 years guarantee period, i.e. METOD kitchens. In addition to that we have a 90-day return policy on all products enabling our customers to bring back the products if they change their mind,” said Inga Filipova, Ikea Latvia Store Manager.
“Before entering the Latvian market, we carried out more than 30 studies to understand the needs and dreams of inhabitants of this country and to come up with solutions, which will help to live a better life at home. Based on the findings, we are offering such localized solutions like small kitchens, home organization systems, kids rooms dedicated for two kids, interior for small space living,” said Ikea Latvia Store Manager.
According to the Store Manager, the store in Riga is organized in 5 main parts – costumer starts his journey in the exposition hall on the 2nd floor, which is dedicated to inspiration and showing the solutions in real life conditions. Later on, follows market hall with a wide range of products from cutlery and home textiles to plants and home decor. The remaining parts are a self-service area where visitors will be able to pick up the chosen furniture and bring them home the same day. Additional services areas, where visitors will be able to order home delivery, leasing, bring back the products they want to return, will end the visitor journey through the store.
IKEA store will also have a 450 seats restaurant, Ikea Bistro café, known for its hot dogs and ice cream and the Swedish food market, where visitors can buy typical Swedish food like meatballs, salmon, cinnamon buns. Sustainable living at home Apart from good design and functional solutions, Swedish company Ikea is also known for its focus on sustainability.
At Ikea Riga store more than 500 goods will be dedicated for sustainable living at home, which will help to save resources, recycle. Also, part of the furniture and other goods are produced from recycled materials. “Ikea strives to reduce its footprint in the environment and on the same time encourages and supports sustainable living at homes. That is why Latvia’s residents will be able to buy energy-saving LED lamps, choose kitchen, produced from recycled plastic bottles or buy chairs from recycled plastic and woods chips. These products are not only sustainable but also award-winning design solutions”, - said Inga Filipova. The store building itself is also equipped with green solutions: LED lighting, solar panels for hot water, various materials recycling technologies and more.
