Ikea santo domingo

Cortesia de Victor Santiago for R. Pichardo.




Ikea first store in Latin America is targeting December 2nd 2009 as the date to start operations.

The facts behind this ongoing project in Santo Domingo:

Ikea's store for Santo Domingo investment is 65 million dollars.
Grupo Modesto (a Dominican construction mogul) is behind the construction, having cemented their expertise and capability from their work behind the SD Metro (under the projected cost and delivery date).

The premises comprise an area of 80,000 Square Meters, on which more than 1,200 parking spots are being built.

It will have a market "Hall" of some 4,490 square meters. 6,000 square meters self service area and a restaurant hall with capacity for 854 people.

The store will have a kid?s playground as well as other incorporated elements oriented towards the Latin American market.

Jumbo will be opening a bigger store yet (after the one they just opened "Jumbo Luperon") right across the new Ikea store.
The project is going to start late 2010 with a goal date for operations of mid-late 2011.

Grupo Centro Cuesta Nacional is planning to enter the home appliances and consumer electronics biz in that project, as negotiations being made by a local biz group and Best Buy indicate a target date of late 2011 or early 2012 for their first branch in the DR!!!!

Things are heating up a bit too fast lately for the home market...
The trick for Best Buy is to buy-out the import rights in the DR for most of the brands they plan to carry in their stores here. So far it awaits the implementation of further free market articles of the agreement in the DR, so they have to deal with less exclusive importers and make a lucrative offer to buy others out.

Chirimoya said:

BUT the questions on all our lips have not been answered!

Will the cafeteria serve albondigas suecas and play ABBA tunes?

Seriously, this is very exciting news and I'm really looking forward to it.

Click to expand...

Yes! Albondigas Suecas will be served on the restaurant and available for purchase from the freezers as well!!!

The ABBA tunes are neither confirmed nor denied by the rep for the company in the DR.

westcan said:

Good for the D.R., nice to see Ikea making the investment.

Once it's built it will be interesting to see how the Dominicans navigate themselves through the store.

Is that where the Diamond mall is located? Lincoln and Kennedy.

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Diamond Mall is on Avenida Los Proceres corner with Euclides Morillo...

This is the new shopping center (Mall) that will go right across the street from IKEA, in the corner of Lincoln and Kennedy.
The "Agora Mall", direct from Dubai...


Night View:



Day View:


The Jumbo is going to be located on one side of the Mall, with direct street access...



What it'll look like inside:












The Mall is already under construction at the intended location...

As for the future of Diamond Mall? Expect too see a major change for that location as well!

JDJones said:

It's difficult to guage how big these new projects are.

Only when you drive by the IKEA site do you realize that it's HUGH!

Pichardo, who is behind the AGORA mall? The Cuesta folks?

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Multiple investors, it's a multi-stage Mall...
Some big names coming to the DR in that Mall...

Here is the animated render:

YouTube - AGORA MALL EN SANTO DOMINGO
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The Jumbo will take several floors there...

Across the street from IKEA is the property being developed.

As for Diamond Mall? There's a strong possibility that it will become the home for the first Best Buy super store in the DR.

DavidZ said:

How's the Blue Mall coming?

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Blue Mall has been put in turbo mode as contractual obligations to several new brands, coming to the DR for the first time themselves, aim to open shop before an even bigger shopping experience is bound to be erected for the Santo Domingo zone.

Like I told you here before, exclusively in DR1, a huge shopping centre is going to open in SD that will dwarf any in the Caribbean.

The place is Sans Souci and the work is already underway...
The port of Sans Souci was phase 1 of that huge plan, the close by park was conditioned as well, for outside local artisan merchant offerings.




The Convention Center for Sans Souci:



The IFCA was already started last month in earnest, as the swage and water lines are being prepared for link up with the public services system.

The redevelopment of the Quisqueya Stadium and surrounds is already clearing legal paperwork, in order to release the land for development from the public hands.

As for Robert's assertions on the traffic nightmare, a plan is being rolled out to copy Congestion Charging in heavy traffic zones. If you pay close attention to the light posts and general four points in the big intersections, new cameras are being placed to that goal.

A private Capital group is in charge of the initial test zones, as the limited tests are conducted, then a general pattern will be adopted for much of the city where traffic conditions are a problem.

Funny how so much discussion goes on in DR1 about the criminality and corruption levels in the DR, when compared to countries like Costa Rica, Argentina, The US and Paraguay among others...

A recent study places the DR ahead of those listed above and many others when it comes to less victims of crime per year on 2008... All conducted by an unbiased report by America's Barometer Org and the Vanderbilt University.

That's part of the answer to why many investors still opt to fund new projects in the DR, while reducing investments on traditional markets long term.

Once the DR adopts the plural open currency as a model in the local economy, the trend will even increase when it comes to larger investments for the DR from abroad.

The local biz and investors are well aware of the near future competitors that will enter our local market, their needs to expand as much as possible and as strong as allowed is not based on mere wishing but factual correlation of financial strengths within the local economy. Again: All of us with some financial/biz background or experience can't ignore that a world leader like IKEA, bases their expansion into new markets with the utmost financial backdrop to support them...

Jumbo is only first phase on a Wal-Mart’s Dominican version...

You will have Agora Mall, IKEA, JUMBO and quite possibly the first Best Buy in the same intersection of all places...

BTW: I was wrong on Best Buy taking home in Diamond Mall; it's being targeted on the corner to the west of IKEA... Diamond Mall is going to be remodeled after the new competitors and area is developed, in order to be the freshest in the lot.