The IKEA, the world Largest home furnishing shopkeeper, opened its biggest logistics distribution center in the Asia-Pacific region on Thursday in Shanghai.

Located in the Shanghai Songjiang district, 25 kilometers away from downtown areas, the distribution center has very convenient communication.

The entire programme includes two separate buildings in three stages. The first building that has already been finished has a floor space of 67,492 square meters and 93,500 cubic meters of storage capacity, and the second one is planned to be completed in the beginning of 2006, which will have 113,200 cubic meters of storage capacity.

As the IKEA first standard distribution center in the Asia-Pacific region, the center is also the first one in this region that adopts ASTRO storehouse management technology system.

Jon Frauenfelder, general manager of the IKEA Distribution in China, said at the opening ceremony that the outstanding geographical advantage of Shanghai and the government's support and management is the main reason that they choose Shanghai to establish such a center.

He said as the biggest center of finance, economy, business and shipping in China, Shanghai is recognized as the most important hinge of logistics in the region. The IKEA Distribution Center in Shanghai will be the logistics service platform that helps the expansion of the IKEA in Asia.

The IKEA home furnishing was established in 1934 in Sweden, and now it has 226 stores in 33 countries and regions. Its turnover in 2005 is 14.8 billion euro.

Source: Xinhua