I have never failed to drop by IKEA in Mutiara Damansara at least once per quarter. Yes, I have been to the IKEA in Cheras. Sometimes more than once per quarter because my friends and relatives from out of state come visiting and they mentioned IKEA. I used to live in Penang for around 15 years before moving to KL and now based here permanently for the past 4 years. When I was buying furniture for my first home in Penang, I realised that there were a lot of great choices in the mainland side. The shops have larger spaces to showcase their furnitures too. Usually, delivery is free even if it is into the island since we are buying quite a lot. I am not sure if these furniture shops feel the heat but there will be another choice, a giant no less in the form of IKEA. It’s Penang store will open early 2019. Here’s that full article in theindependent.sg IKEA will not just have a huge showroom of ideas. It will be encouraging potential buyers to try them too, even for the mattresses and the sofa chairs.
Its Managing Director of IKEA Southeast Asia, Christian Rojkjaer said, “We have seen people from Penang driving more than 350 kilometres to shop at IKEA in Kuala Lumpur. This store in Batu Kawan will make it easy for them to come for a great day out”. He was not joking because my wife’s ex-company’s HR Manager really did that. Driving the company’s truck all the way to KL from the Bayan Lepas Industrial area to buy IKEA furnishings for their new plant. IKEA Penang will be based in Aspen Vision City in Batu Kawan. Aspen Vision City is a mixed-use development that wants to transform Batu Kawan into a vibrant community with condominiums, a financial hub, a school and parkland among others. On a longer term, IKEA Penang will be integrated into a large shopping centre. I think this is a good move even though it does not mean that the mall would thrive unless Batu Kawan’s own population goes up too.
The article concluded by saying that IKEA Batu Kawan with over 433,000 sq ft will provide a great day out for millions of visitors each year. I think they are right. Shopping in IKEA is not just for stuffs. It is also for ideas. It is also a form of entertainment too. On a yearly basis, I definitely spend hundreds of ringgit there. Probably a thousand if we include the meals as well. Haha. As for the question of whether we should buy Batu Kawan because of IKEA ALONE, let me be very honest, ‘no.’ We should buy in Batu Kawan if we are prepared to move there and work in the island. We should buy Batu Kawan if the developments of all the other key components are also proceeding asper planned. We should buy Batu Kawan when we see many of our friends moving there instead of staying in the island. Peer pressure is a big thing. Not many people wants to stay at places where none of his friends are staying. No one would call you for supper at the local mamak if your local mamak and his local mamak is 30km away. Happy loving it.
written on 25 Sept 2017
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