The Ikea brand opens a new store in the center of Paris. Nearly 6,000 m² with 7,300 references to be found in the Italie 2 shopping center. And to be able to take away more than 3,000 references immediately, the brand has 2,600 m² of storage warehouse. Not to mention a 100-seat restaurant. A new feature that delights the residents of the 13th arrondissement, but also the mayor. It must be said that for several years, The shopping center was losing momentum.
A popular opening
“I’m moving soon, we’re going to need new cabinets,” says Saloa, who will be present on the opening day.“Here, I don’t need to rent a truck when I can bring all this stuff downstairs from my house. I really want to see if it’s better than Madeleine,” adds the mother who will have to decorate the youngest’s room. For Renée, this store is a godsend. “I can’t take the metro with my crutch so I went to the Ikea in La Madeleine by bus. It was absolutely not practical.”. With Isabelle, her long-time friend, they are happy to see the Place d’Italie shopping center come back to life. “I think that here it can attract another clientele. The shopping center, we come there less and less, it’s very cold. I saw that there are already transformations, for example, they removed the benches, there was all the riffraff who were there from morning to night. But there is a lot to do for this shopping center.”
“I think it will bring people in”
A shopping center that will certainly evolve, since the group bought the entire building as well as the offices. A great operation for the neighborhood and the district for Jérôme Coumet, the mayor of the 18th: “I think it will bring people in. Then, their positioning is to establish themselves for the long term. For the old people of the 13th arrondissement, we called it the Galaxie center. The office part was called Apollo. It all has a 70s feel to it, but… We feel that there was a need to revive a dynamic because since the departure of Printemps, or even Fnac, things have been left a little flat. They themselves intend to invest there, so that will change the situation,” concludes the elected official.
“This shopping center was a great opportunity”says Arslan Ali, director of the brand’s stores in central Paris. “Once again, setting up shop will allow us to revitalize the neighborhood and revitalize the shopping center. We are extremely proud to set up shop in the heart of this shopping center and especially in the heart of the 13th arrondissement. There are great things to do, we are convinced of that and we are eager to start this new adventure.”
The store’s inauguration takes place this Thursday, September 12, and the store opens to the public at 10 a.m.
