Danish furniture retailer Ilva has got off the starting blocks in its quest for Ikea-like global domination, with the signing of its first overseas store in Malmo, Sweden.
The retailer has three stores in its native Denmark, and is scouting additional Swedish locations, such as Gothenburg and Stockholm. It is also poised to enter the UK.
Led by former B&Q chief executive Martin Toogood, the Swedish store is in partnership with Skanska Fastigheter Goteborg AB. Toogood said: 'We have been working closely with Skanska to develop the store site. For us, this is the beginning of an exciting international adventure.
Ilva pitches itself as a value- for-money retailer, but has higher entry prices than Swedish rival Ikea. Its product range extends to 8,000 lines, compared with Ikea's 10,000.
Construction of the 107,640 sq ft (10,000 sq m) Malmo store starts this month, with opening expected next June.
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