Danish tastes good for the region's shopaholics

Evening Chronicle (Newcastle, England), Nov 3, 2006

Byline: By Nick Whitten

Danish furniture giants ILVA are top of the shops.

The firm opened at Gateshead's MetroCentre yesterday and bosses said it could have been the best opening in the company's history.

The store has created 350 jobs and offers more than 10,000 home furnishings ideas ( thought to be the largest under one roof in the UK.

The 120,000 sq ft store is the third to be opened in the UK, by Denmark's number two furniture retailer.

Martin Toogood, ILVA executive chairman said: "We were delighted with our opening day.

"There were 400 people queuing outside the store waiting for it to open in the morning.

"It's been the best store opening for ILVA in the UK so far, and if it continues like this, it will be the best store opening for ILVA as a company.

"We were really looking forward to opening a store in the area and today has been even better than expected.

"People in the North East have a tremendous spirit, which has really been captured at the launch of the store.

"ILVA is as much about the people as it is about the product, and our team helped to make the opening day a success."

ILVA bosses have spent millions converting the M&S Lifestore, which had opened in February 2004, but closed its doors less than a year later after sales were well below target.

Store bosses have denied ILVA will now go head to head with Swedish giant IKEA in a flat pack war despite the two stores being just 100 yards apart.

ILVA's chief operating officer, Colin Haggerty, said: "It will not be a war at all. ILVA and IKEA are complimentary to each other.

"The most overwhelming feedback we get from people who walk through our doors is that they say we're nothing like IKEA. They stop drawing the comparison."

ILVA's huge range of items is showcased under more than 5,000 lights and features an eclectic mix of living, sleeping, dining furniture and accessories.

More than 70% of the range will be exclusive and will be refreshed twice a year.

Bosses are making a strong commitment to raising standards of service in terms of delivery times. They say the store is served by over one million sq ft of warehousing space in Doncaster and Hull, which means shoppers can receive delivery of sofas in five days.