IKEA Bulgaria opens store in Veliko Tarnovo

The store spans an area of 1,800 square metres and is located in Mall Veliko Tarnovo, IKEA Bulgaria said in a press release on Wednesday, without providing financial details of the investment.

Fourlis Group runs the exclusive franchise for the Swedish furniture retailer in Bulgaria through its subsidiary Housemarket. It currently operates two stores in the capital Sofia, two plan-and-order points in Burgas and Plovdiv, a concept store in Varna, which opened in 2021, and mobile hubs in Pleven, Blagoevgrad, Haskovo and Stara Zagora.

In Bulgaria, Fourlis also has a shareholding in mall operator Sofia South Ring Mall. The Greek group also has an indirect controlling stake in Trade Estates Bulgaria and owns Genco Bulgaria, the exclusive local representative of Swiss-based sporting goods retailer Intersport.

In the first half of 2023, Fourlis reported a 24.4% annual rise in sales under the IKEA brand to 163.8 million euro ($178.6 million), its most recent interim report shows.

($ = 0.9170 euro)