A thousand hires in the next three years, through two new stores in Rome and Cagliari and a shopping center in Roncadelle, in the Brescia area. This is the summary of the new Ikea plan in Italy, which envisages 350 hires already by 2016: it was announced Belen Frau, Spanish manager and new CEO of Ikea Italia. The adventure of the Swedish giant with a turnover of 3,5 billion began in our country in the 80s, as described in the new strategic plan: it is now a consolidated reality, especially in the North.
“Our current employees here in Italy are 6.35490% with permanent contracts, a small part with fixed-term contracts or administration to manage any peaks - Frau points out -. We are now opening two collection points in Rome and Cagliari, they are gods pick up point: those who buy on the site can pick up in the city center without paying shipping costs". But by 2017 other openings are also planned in Rome (from 2 to 3 stores, negotiations are underway to identify the area), Milan (from the current 3 to 4 stores) and Verona.
" legislation of the Jobs act has been very positive for us – adds Frau – but what matters most is to reduce the contribution and tax wedge on companies and here the government still has to work. Not to mention the bureaucracy: it took us seven years to open a shop in Pisa only because at a certain point the governor of Tuscany Rossi intervened to lend us a hand. Obviously all this turns into a strong disincentive for investments”.
For the making of a shopping center, explains the manager, “it is necessary to have a license from the municipality and often the municipalities are in hiding. And for the commercial part, given that we are dealing with spaces exceeding 10 square meters, we have to ask the region for authorization. But obviously every region, here in Italy, has its own legislation. Not only that: the opening of a sales point must be examined by the services conference and it is also necessary to intervene on the nearby road system. Once they asked us to build a bridge. A folly”.
