Penang's First IKEA Store Opened Last Week And It Sold Over 32,000 Meatballs In One Day
It also sold over 23,600 curry puffs.
By Alyssa J. Oon — 18 Mar 2019, 05:51 PM
IKEA Batu Kawan, Penang officially opened its doors on Thursday, 14 March and shoppers were more than ready for it
This is the fourth IKEA store in Malaysia, but the very first in the Northern region.
The Batu Kawan store boasts 470,146 sq ft of space with over 49 Swedish-inspired rooms showcasing a blend of the familiar Swedish style with some local Penang culture.
The store welcomed over 20,000 shoppers on its opening day, despite it being a normal working and school day
"It's a surreal feeling to finally welcome our beloved fans to our new home here in Batu Kawan. We've been gearing up to this very moment and the turnout was phenomenal!" said IKEA Batu Kawan store manager Pathmalingam Arumugam in a press release.
"From today onwards, even more Malaysians will enjoy easier access to well designed, functional, quality and low-priced Swedish home furnishings."
The response was overwhelming to the point that traffic leading up to the store stretched over several kilometres:
True to the Malaysian foodie spirit, over 32,000 Swedish meatballs and 23,600 curry puffs were sold on opening day
This user claimed they had to queue for 45 minutes to get their meal.
Image via Instagram @azlindamuda1976
The iconic IKEA cafeteria can seat over 750 people at a time. Besides the cafeteria, there is also an IKEA Bistro.
Shoppers also wasted no time in capturing a unique feature of the Batu Kawan store:
Penang-based Thomas Powell is behind the handpainted mural, which he titled 'The Trishaw Captain'.
IKEA Batu Kawan is opened from 10am to 10pm daily
Find out more here.