IKEA NOT READY FOR THAILAND YET
EXCLUSIVE: by The Bangkok Bugle
Despite media reports last week that Swedish retailer IKEA was ready to open its first Bangkok store in 2009, I can confirm the company has no firm plans, and comments given by a company representative were mis-interpreted.
A spokesman for IKEA told me, for a story I'm working on for the next edition of my magazine, that company is "ready" to begin studies about the possibility of opening here, and is not "ready" to open here as was reported earlier.
It seems it could be several years before we see that famous blue and yellow logo on the Bangkok skyline.
UPDATE: May 12, 2009. BANGKOK TO GET IKEA STORE, AT LAST.
2 comments:
Ikea in Thailand ? It's a running joke.
Every september there is like a rumor. ;-)
http://thaicrisis.wordpress.com/2007/09/24/press-ikea-delays-its-plans-in-thailand/
Last year it was Foreign Business Act threats. This year, it seems to be the global crisis, plus the political crisis in Thailand...
Ikea would be mad to invest now, in a country where "distribution" is a business listed on the FBA (list 3) for which you need to ask... a licence (with unknown criterias) if you wish to have -officially- the majority.
Or to cheat by using nominees (like all the other international groups are doing...).
Judging from what I've been told IKEA will be in Thailand, although probably not for at least another two years. Neither the global crisis or the locally-made one are mentioned as reasons for delaying their plans this time.
I don't think they need to use nominees - they just license the brand to a Thai company and let them run it under strict controls.
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