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After a number of previously made announcements regarding the starting date of construction for the first IKEA store in Serbia, a seemingly final one was made last week by the Ikea's Director of Regional Development, Vladislav Lalić, as he stated that the construction is set to begin this month at the Bubanj Potok location, just outside Belgrade. The completion of this project would then be expected in 2017, with the store set to open in late spring/beginning of summer.Lalić attributed the falsity of prior announcements to a multitude of problems, including those related to administrative, legal and technical issues, all of them causing the slowed down development of the project. However, he has also pointed out a number of recent solutions to such issues and the overall improved state of the Serbian business environment, as the main reasons behind his optimism for the finalisation of the project. Lalić has stated the investment total to be EUR 70 million initially, with the Bubanj Potok store set to be constructed across an area of 30.000 square meters, employing some 300 people once functional. Furthermore, Lalić also noted future investments planned in Serbia, including the construction of a shopping mall in Belgrade, and an additional store in Nis – the property for which has already been bought by IKEA. Other Serbian cities, Novi Sad amongst them, have likewise been mentioned as potential additions to the IKEA regional family, but mainly in the context of the company's 5 to 10 years long-term strategy.Nevertheless, Lalić also stressed the high importance of adjusting to market trends, seeing as how more and more customers tend to rely on online shopping options, and how such trends might affect the aforementioned strategy regarding IKEA's future decisions. While such a precaution seems warranted, Lalić claims that no changes to previously mentioned plans have been made, as the process of adjusting will be an ongoing one, with some of the decisions – as the market demands – expected to be made "on the fly".

 

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