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Kika to open Israel store in September

Austrian furniture chain planning to inaugurate its first Holy Land branch in Netanya, before competitor IKEA reopens burnt store. 'Kika will move the market forward,' says company's CEO in Israel

Austrian furniture and home accessories chain Kika is planning to open its first store in Israel in the city of Netanya on September 6, just before the Jewish New Year and about half a year before competitor IKEA reopens its own Netanya store, which burned down several months ago.

 

Another Kika store will be opened in Haifa later on.

 

In addition to its private brand, the chain will offer international brands like JOOP and Esprit. About 70% of the product mix offered will be "special order" furniture, which customers will have to wait for four to eight weeks, while 30% will be "off the shelf" goods.

 

The store, which is in advanced building stages in Netanya's industrial zone, will have four floors and measure 13,000 square meters (140,000 square feet) in size. It will also include an underground and upper parking lot with 500 parking spaces, increasing its size to 28,000 square meters (301,000 square feet).

 

The huge store will offer kitchen and living room furniture, bedrooms and bathrooms, baby rooms and toys, as well as household appliances, mattresses, home textile, cooking appliances and wallpaper. The store will also include a children's playground and two coffee shops.

 

Fifteen percent of the products will be of European or local design. Kika has already signed agreements with Israeli companies Naaman, Kitan and Starplast to manufacture products for the chain's private brand.

 

The chain is currently recruiting 200 workers for its first store and setting up a logistics center in Kfar Aviv, at an NIS 10-million ($3-milion) investment.

 

'Inconceivable range of possibilities'

According to Kika Israel CEO Zvika Goldenberg, the store will display 70 living rooms, 60 types of dining rooms and 30 teenagers' bedrooms. "We'll offer an inconceivable range of possibilities, which does not exist in Israel at the moment," he said.

 

"Some 1,200 types of cloth and leather, more than 60 bedrooms – and all for six price ranges. The prices of Kika's private brand will be up to 80% lower than the most expensive product in the store."

 

He refused to state the prices, but said that "the store's target audience will be students, a young family, up to the top echelon. We'll offer prices similar to the prices abroad, taking the conveyance expenses into account."

 

As opposed to IKEA, Goldenberg added, Kika's customers will not have to walk through the entire store to reach the cashiers. "An exit to the cashiers' station will be located 20 meters (65 feet) after the entrance," he said.

 

"Kika will move the market forward and force the other companies to adjust to the new standard. We'll do all we can to take over this market, which generates NIS 11 billion ($3.2 billion). There's no doubt that we'll conquer a large spot and that the market's professionalism will grow thanks to Kika."

 

 


פרסום ראשון: 07.07.11, 08:20
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