Foundation stone laid for one of the largest IKEA stores in the Middle East located on Queen Alia Airport Road

With the Minister of Public Works and Housing H.E. Eng. Yahia Al Kasabi, attending on the Prime Minister’s behalf, Union Land Development and the Kuwait-based Al-Homaizi Group (through its Jordanian investment arm, SAH Jordan), recently laid the foundation stone of the IKEA store in Amman, the first Jordan-based store in the Swedish global chain that specializes in the manufacture and retail of home furnishing solutions. The breaking ground ceremony took place on Tuesday, June 5, with the attendance of a number of ministers, Lower House representatives, businessmen, representatives of government agencies and the media.

The ceremony came to mark the initiation of the construction works for the project, which is located in Yadouda on the Queen Alia Airport Road and is scheduled to open its doors to customers during Summer 2013. The project will extend over a land area of 42,000 square meters.

Mr. Saleh Al-Homaizi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Al-Homaizi Group, commended the efforts of the government agencies involved in the project, who tremendously facilitated the establishment of an IKEA store in Jordan. He noted that the brand's foray into the Jordanian market came as result of the lucrative investment environment within the Kingdom and its many differentiating factors, including its stable geopolitical climate and the competency of its workforce in all areas required for such a large-scale endeavor.

Mr. Al-Homaizi highlighted that this step comes as part of IKEA's expansion plans in the Middle East, with the objective of servicing as many customers as possible through the brand's lineup of well-designed, practical and highly affordable home furnishing solutions.

Mr. Al-Homaizi concluded by noting that the store's location on the Queen Alia Airport Road was chosen due to its ease of access, its close proximity to several population centers and the fact that it’s slated to become Amman’s premium retail and industrial hub, all of which are factors that fall within IKEA's store location criteria. He explained that IKEA stores worldwide follow a predefined trend that prioritizes ease of access by as many people as possible and the suitability of the location logistically and environmentally to serve as a family-centric destination. 

Lower House Representative H.E. Mirza Boulad, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Union Land Development, expressed his delight at the signing of the agreement with SAH Jordan, which owns and operates the IKEA brand in the Kingdom. He explained that this project will create new horizons for Jordan, broadening its investment landscape and reinforcing its local economy with viable job opportunities. Moreover, he added that, given the project's scope, its activities in the Kingdom will propel other sectors, such as engineering and construction, trade, logistics and clearance, in addition to strengthening Jordanian-Swedish relations. 

H.E. Boulad explained that the project will generate 460 sustainable job opportunities upon its launch, emphasizing SAH Jordan's policy of hiring from the local workforce and building the capacities of its staff through regular training and development efforts. He further noted that the establishment of this project reflects the level of growth enjoyed by Jordan's investment landscape and proves the country's commitment to offering incentives and placing transparent and progressive policies to encourage foreign investments from the Gulf and the State of Kuwait in particular.

SAH Jordan, which was licensed by IKEA to establish its store in Jordan, had signed an agreement with Union Land Development, who in turn will supervise the construction of the IKEA store with an investment value totaling JD 55 million.

The project will comprise of a 35,000-square meter three-story building. The first story will be designated for services and a 1020-space parking area, which includes spaces for families and people with special needs. The first and second floors will contain the IKEA store, which is considered one of the largest IKEA retailers in the Middle East, in addition to a restaurant that can cater to approximately 600 people, a café and children's play area.

IKEA is one of the largest global retailers of home furniture, offering customers a wide range of well-designed, functional products at prices so low that as many people as possible could afford them. Utilizing rational range and product development as well as predefined distribution mechanisms, the company continually realizes its far-reaching vision, creating volume-based products that are intuitively tailored for easy assembly by the end-user. Since its foundation, the brand has become iconic, growing into a global retail giant with around 130,000 co-workers in 41 countries.