Home furnisher Ikea shows off its supersized Sha Tin makeover

After seeing off British home improvement giant B&Q last year, Jardine Matheson's Ikea is now rolling out a supersized version of flat-pack and Allen key retail heaven.

Following a year-long renovation, the retailer reopened its Sha Tin store yesterday featuring 120,000 square feet of floor space, 35 display rooms, 7,500 items and a 130-seat Swedish restaurant. An even bigger outlet is now planned at Kowloon Bay.

With its lightweight, knock-together furniture better suited to the city's cramped living space, Ikea proved a formidable competitor to B&Q whose outdoor barbecue sets and garden supplies were more applicable to European homes.

The Sha Tin outlet is the biggest of Ikea's three stores in the city and takes up the fifth and sixth floors of Sun Hung Kai's HomeSquare in Grand Central Plaza.

Ikea's Hong Kong operations, controlled by Jardine Matheson Holdings through Dairy Farm International Holdings, also has shops in Causeway Bay and Telford Plaza, Kowloon Bay.

Benjamin Birks, general manager of Ikea Hong Kong, said the Swedish home furnisher had benefited from the fact that Hongkongers had become more attached to their homes during the recent tough economic times.

'Home becomes even more important to people as they spend much more time there and are more aware of the value of a beautiful home,' said Birks.