BEIJING, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- Sweden-based furniture maker IKEA hopes to expand into Zhengzhou, capital of Central China's Henan Province, but for now the company cannot confirm any information about the construction of projects in the city this year, said a PR representative surnamed Xu with IKEA.
Xu's comment came after the Zhengzhou government said that IKEA will start construction in 2017 on projects in the city, according to a post on the local government's website on Monday.
"IKEA hopes to be able to buy land in Zhengzhou and open outlets in the city as early as possible, but for now we cannot confirm the information," Xu told the Global Times on Monday.
The Zhengzhou government said in a statement on its website that construction will begin on 183 primary projects, worth 430 billion yuan ($62.5 billion), in the city and its administrative districts and counties in 2017.
IKEA plans to build a store in the city's Huiji district, with investment worth 1 billion yuan, said a post on the website of Zhengzhou Foreign Investment Service Center on Saturday.
IKEA said on its website in July 2016 that China remains one of the fastest growing markets for IKEA Group, while the five largest retail markets based on sales value were Germany, the US, France, the UK and Sweden.
IKEA has so far operated 21 stores in China, according to Xu. (Global Times)
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