Ikea reopens its doors tomorrow, but food operations to remain closed

While those looking to furnish their homes will be able to visit Swedish retailer Ikea tomorrow, fans of the store's meatballs will have to wait a little longer to taste the popular signature dish.

The two Ikea stores in Alexandra and Tampines will reopen tomorrow when phase two of the post-circuit breaker period begins, said Ikea Singapore in a statement yesterday.

However, its food operations, including its restaurants, bistros and food market, will remain closed until further notice. In addition to implementing safety precautions such as limiting the number of customers, both stores will have shorter opening hours.

Following guidelines from the authorities, the stores will have to limit the number of customers to one person per 10 sq m of gross floor area. The children's play area at the stores will remain closed as well.

Mr Keith Oo, deputy store general manager at Ikea Tampines, said the company is taking a step-by-step approach to reopening its stores, and prioritising safety and crowd management.

He said the company will reassess the opening of its food operations after this weekend.

To make sure that customer numbers remain manageable during the weekend, the carpark at the Alexandra outlet, which is smaller than the store in Tampines, will be closed on Saturdays and Sundays.

Ikea Singapore will monitor the situation, and updates on the carpark's availability will be posted on its website. The carpark at the Tampines outlet will be open daily.

Mr Oo said that should the crowds waiting to enter the Tampines store become too big, the carpark there will also be closed to prevent more visitors from entering, while waiting for customer numbers in the store to decrease.

Both stores will implement hourly cleaning regimes and have employees and safe distancing ambassadors on the ground to ensure that customers move through the store in an orderly fashion.

Mr Oo said: "We are so happy to be opening our doors again, but we are very clear on our priorities. Safety first. Our Ikea stores cannot return to 'normal' just yet. Covid-19 remains a reality, and we all must do our part to prevent the virus from spreading."

Meanwhile The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands (MBS) will also resume retail operations tomorrow, but access to the mall will be limited to members of MBS' loyalty programme, Sands Rewards, the integrated resort operator said.

MBS said yesterday visitor access will be restricted for now, "in order to ensure safe distancing measures and limits in capacity are adhered to".

The company did not elaborate as to how long this period of limited access will last.

Food and beverage outlets operated directly by MBS, as well as venues such as the hotel, casino, ArtScience Museum and convention centre, will remain closed until further notice.