September 10 (SeeNews) - Greece-based durable goods provider Fourlis Group, the exclusive franchisee of the ΙΚΕΑ trademark in Bulgaria, Greece and Cyprus, said on Thursday that it has inaugurated its first IKEA store in the Bulgarian coastal city of Varna.
The new IKEA store is located in Delta Planet Mall shopping centre and spreads on 8,000 sq m, Fourlis Group said in a press release.
In line with Fourlis Group's development programme, an additional small-size IKEA store will open soon in Greece's Piraeus. The new Piraeus IKEA will cover an area of 2.000 sq m and will be the first of a series of stores to open at central points in major Greek cities, the group also said.
With the opening of the new IKEA store in Varna, Delta Planet Mall will reach 94% occupancy, the shopping mall said in a statement on Wednesday.
Fourlis Group currently operates five IKEA stores in Greece, two in Bulgaria, and one in Cyprus, along with six pick-up points in Greece, three in Bulgaria, and one in Cyprus.
According to the development plan for the three countries, five new medium-size IKEA stores of 5,000 to 12,000 sq m and ten small-size stores of 1,000 to 2,000 sq m will open in the next five years, Fourlis Group in 2019.