President Leonel Fernandez inaugurated near noon Wednesday the local store of the retail chain Ikea, built at a cost of US$85 million and which will provide as many as 2,500 direct and indirect jobs.

In his speech, Fernandez said the opening of Ikea is an example of the Dominican economy’s reactivation in 2010. “The opening of this store is a great rejoicing, but it also constitutes a great event from the economic and commercial standpoint for the Dominican Republic.”

Accompanying the Head of State was the owner of the Swedish franchise Frederic Andersalm, who said the store, the first of the chain in Latin America, was built on around 70,000 meters and has 1,600 parking spaces.