IKEA celebrates topping-out ceremony in Valais
Spreitenbach AG/Riddes VS - IKEA Schweiz hat das Richtfest für ein neues Einrichtungshaus in Riddes im Kanton Wallis gefeiert. Der Bau mit 23‘000 Quadratmetern Ladenfläche auf zwei Etagen soll im Frühjahr 2024 eröffnet werden.
IKEA Switzerland, headquartered in Spreitenbach, is building its first store in the canton of Valais. After only seven months of construction, the topping-out ceremony was celebrated on the building site in Les Morand near Riddes with around 150 construction workers and representatives of authorities, partners and IKEA employees, according to a media release.
Since the groundbreaking ceremony in March, the shell for the 23,000 square meters of store space on two floors on the total 49,000 square meters of land has been completed on schedule. In total, the investment amounts to more than 100 million Swiss francs. After opening in 2024, IKEA will then have ten stores and two planning studios in Switzerland with around 3300 employees.
This will be IKEA’s first foray into the Swiss mountain region with a large store, according to a media release. “The opening of the IKEA store in spring 2024 is a great opportunity for the municipality of Riddes and of particular economic importance for the entire canton of Valais,” Riddes municipal president Christel Duc is quoted as saying.
Recruitment for around 200 jobs at IKEA Riddes has been underway since September. The most modern and sustainable IKEA store in Switzerland is being built there, featuring a zero-waste approach and a huge solar installation, among other features, the statement said. The next steps include technical installations inside the building and the removal of the unloading ramps for the storage racks; the storage and self-service hall is the first area to be built. At the end of November, the construction of the furniture exhibition and market hall departments will begin in stages. The installation of the photovoltaic system is expected to start in November, once the roof is completed.