Aju Business Daily

SEOUL -- IKEA, a Dutch-based global home-furnishing company, will open its first store in Seoul next month. The company that launched its first South Korean store in Gwangmyeong, a southwestern satellite city of Seoul, in 2014 currently operates four megastores across the country.

Hyundai Department Store, South Korea's major department store chain operator, said in a statement on Tuesday that IKEA will open "IKEA Planning Studio", an urban-themed store, at its department store in Cheonho, a district in western Seoul, on April 30.

According to the department store chain operator, IKEA's mini-store will provide some 400 products including furniture and design products. Professional home-furnishing consultants will help customers design and decorate their homes, Hyundai Department Store said, adding that the company is cooperating with IKEA to open additional urban mini-stores at other Hyundai Department Store branches in Seoul.

IKEA, which made a foray into South Korea's home-furnishing market in 2014, gained phenomenal popularity among young consumers who seek cost-effective and well-designed furniture. IKEA's mega-sized stores are always filled with people create huge traffic congestions in the area around the stores during the weekends.