IKEA to open barbecue food-truck next to its only store in Romania

Swedish retailer IKEA will open a barbecue food-truck next to its store in Baneasa area in northern Bucharest, which is the only IKEA unit in Romania. The new food truck is set to open in November this year, reports local Economica.net. The trailer will be located on the right side of the IKEA store, and will offer takeout only services, as there will be no tables arranged near the food-truck. It will stay open daily between 12:00 and 20:00. IKEA is already operating a restaurant and a hot dog stand inside its store in Baneasa. The restaurant has grown to be one of the biggest in Romania in terms of sales. IKEA Romania's food department, which includes the restaurant, the bistro, and the delicacy shop, generated 8% of the company's business in the catalog year ended on August 31, 2015, according to the company's representatives. This means some EUR 7.7 million in sales. IKEA sold 3.5 million hot dogs and 4.8 million Swedish meatballs that year. The Swedish retailer opened its store in Bucharest in 2007, which was initially operated under franchise and was owned by local investor Gabriel Popoviciu, the owner of Baneasa Shoppin City. Later on, IKEA Group bought the store and started operating it directly. In the catalog year ended August 31, 2015, IKEA Romania almost EUR 100 million in sales (without VAT), up 13% over the previous year, as some 3.2 million people visited the store. The company hasn't yet released the results for the catalog year ended on August 31, 2016. Last year, IKEA announced its plans of opening a second store in Bucharest, which will be located on the Pallady Boulevard in Eastern Bucharest. The future store will be close to the existing retail park that includes an Auchan hypermarket, a Metro Cash & Carry unit, a furniture and do-it-yourself JYSK store, as well as the sports retailer Decathlon, and the toy retailer Jumbo. Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com