This was made known by Gerard Groener, Managing Director of Ingka Centers, who said that the company is currently in negotiations on the acquisition of real estate in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Chicago. It is now “on active search,” Reuters reports.
It may seem strange – opening new malls at a time when the world has not yet recovered from the coronavirus pandemic. No one knows yet what the buying activity will be in the next few years. But the pandemic is also opening up new opportunities in the limited commercial real estate market, which Ingka Centers wants to take advantage of.
Groener said that his company has long considered opening shopping centers in 45 major cities around the world, including the United States, along with IKEA stores, which are located in the United States. He said the Ingka Center’s position is positive, and the ongoing negotiations are now “at various stages.”
Ingka Centers is a division of the Ingka Group, which owns a chain of IKEA stores. To date, the company has opened 45 malls and shopping centers in Europe, China, and Russia. Entering an exceptionally large and important new market will mean a new page in history for Ingka Centers.