MANILA - Philippine-made items such as beads and bamboo products have "potential" to be sold at IKEA stores, the Swedish furniture-maker's Southeast Asia development manager Georg Platzer said Friday.

In an interview with ANC, Platzer said Filipinos are talented in beading which could work well with the brand's textile line. He also took note of local kitchen bamboo products.

"Of course I hope that one day we will also find products in IKEA all over the world produced by Philippine artisans and designed by people from Sweden together with very talented people here in the Philippines," Platzer said.

"So we started discussing this already years ago and I'm not giving up on lobbying for this. I love the country, I see what’s happening here. I see a potential. It’s (in the) future but discussion started and I’m very positive that this is going to happen one day," he added.

Platzer, IKEA PH: We also tap local artisans in Indonesia, Thailand for textile & ceramics products, We hope our partnership with Rags2Riches is that start, and we can tap more local artisans in PH to make products (focused on weaving, bamboo) and eventually export @ANCALERTS

— Michelle Krystle Ong (@michelle_d_ong) February 19, 2021

The company earlier announced it tapped local firm Rags2Riches (R2R) to become its sewing partner. R2R will have a spot in the Philippine store with Filipino artisans to customize textile products.

• IKEA PH taps Filipino artisans for custom-made textile products

Pasay City Mayor Emi Calixto-Rubiano on Tuesday said IKEA officials paid a courtesy call where they disclosed that they would hire some 500 local residents.

“Malugod ko pong ipinaaabot sa ating mga kababayan ang magandang balita na magha-hire ang IKEA ng hindi bababa sa 500 residente mula sa ating lungsod para magtrabaho sa kanilang branch dito sa ating lugar,” the official said.

(We are pleased to announced that IKEA will hire no less than 500 residents from our city to work at their branch here)

The company had made this announcement in November.

• IKEA hiring close to 500 workers for world's largest store in PH

IKEA is building the world's biggest store with 65,000 sqm, or as big as 150 basketball courts, at the Mall of Asia complex. It is expected to open later this year.

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