What will IKEA's goals on the domestic market be, will the store prices or management change, will expansion plans be continued? These are just a few of the questions emerging after the deal sealed between Puiu Popoviciu and the Swedish giant, in the wake of which the store in Baneasa shopping area is now owned by Ingvar Kamprad, one of the world's top billionaires. After three years during which it operated through a franchise, IKEA furniture industry giant entered the domestic market directly, by acquiring operation rights and the franchise of Bucharest IKEA store, which became the 268th own store, out of a 301-strong total network. ZF published in its Friday edition the exclusive information about the deal between the two parties, putting its value at over 30m euros. As for the pricing policy on the domestic market, Anton Constantin, chairman of the Romanian Franchise Association, believes it might remain unchanged, as "Romania is the Bermuda Triangle". In 2009, the Swedish group sold the Siret plant it operated through Swedwood unit, to Austria's Holzindustrie Schweighofer. The plant had been closed since August 2008.

What will IKEA's goals on the domestic market be, will the store prices or management change, will expansion plans be continued? These are just a few of the questions emerging after the deal sealed between Puiu Popoviciu and the Swedish giant, in the wake of which the store in Baneasa shopping area is now owned by Ingvar Kamprad, one of the world's top billionaires. After three years during which it operated through a franchise, IKEA furniture industry giant entered the domestic market directly, by acquiring operation rights and the franchise of Bucharest IKEA store, which became the 268th own store, out of a 301-strong total network. ZF published in its Friday edition the exclusive information about the deal between the two parties, putti