IKEA Opens Biggest Store Yet

IKEA (Leiden, Netherlands) is set to open its largest store yet today in Seoul, Korea.

The much-anticipated 32.5-acre unit in the city of Gwangmyeong, south of Seoul, has overcome a number of obstacles — including price inflation and cultural gaffes — as it prepared to open, according to the Daily Mail.

The store will sell 8600 items ranging from bookshelves to kitchen furniture, bathroom goods and children’s toys, while its cafeteria will offer affordable Swedish and Korean foods, reports The Korea Herald.

To combat concern about Koreans’ lack of familiarity with IKEA’s flat-pack, construct-it-yourself philosophy, the store will offer assembly services for a fee. DIY is a largely foreign concept in a local market accustomed to fully assembled furniture, reports the Daily Mail.