Swedish furniture chain Ikea has identified two possible locations for a new store in West Flanders: the Ring Shopping Kortrijk Noord and Ter Biest in Wevelgem.
City councils want further study
For some time, Ikea has been targeting a new store in West Flanders, which should open by 2020. It quickly focused on Ter Biest in Wevelgem, but the environmental study requires an alternative, leading to Ring Shopping Kortrijk Noord.
At first, 33 locations were listed, but a study regarding public transportation and traffic congestion brought the list down to a mere four locations. Evolis and Beneluxpark were cut because their location could not harbour an Ikea store.
The city councils in Kortrijk, Wevelgem and Kuurne are not happy with the study and feel the mobility factor has not been researched enough. “We are not convinced by how traffic congestion can be avoided. We have not received any guarantees about that”, Wevelgem mayor Jan Seynhaeve said.
According to the Kortrijk city council, Ring Shopping Kortrijk Noord is not an alternative, because the location sometimes cannot even handle traffic on busy days already.
No additional retail
Vincent Van Quickenborne, Kortrijk mayor, wants an independent mobility study and wants to consider locations that do not have other retail activity nearby. “There is not a city that wants additional retail because that would compete with the current retail”, Van Quickenborne said.
However, Ikea wants a fully integrated project that “fits the existing cluster of stores. Such an overall project is much more efficient regarding floor space and mobility”, Ikea spokesperson Annelies Nauwelaerts said. “From a retail stance, we still prefer Ter Biest to build our project, but studies will have to demonstrate whether Ring Shopping is also a good location.”
