Aleksandar Vucic on Thursday took part in the opening ceremony of IKEA’s first Serbia store, saying that the arrival of the Swedish giant “makes him proud.”
The president told reporters that “talks are already underway” with the company’s management about achieving “a much higher volume of manufacturing for the global market in Serbia.”
According to Vucic, “it’s up to us” whether this happens.
Asked whether Serbia’s domestic furniture industry will suffer losses because of IKEA’s arrival to the market, Vucic said that “the experience of all regional countries shows that both spending and manufacturing will increase.”
The president announced that IKEA plans to open another store in Belgrade, adding that he “believes it won’t be long” before one is opened in Nis, southern Serbia, as well.
Asked if he bought anything, Vucic said that he did not – “because the checkouts were closed.”
“The law is respected here, the checkouts open at 10 o’clock,” he said.
