“One difference we found was that there are more families here with children in their teens,” said Cecilia Johansson, the manager of Ikea’s Goyang store and previous manager of Gwangmyeong branch. This revelation motivated the company to set up a furniture section for this particular age group. Like other Ikea stores, the new branch will also be packed with eco-friendly energy solutions, such as the 4,446 solar panels on the roof and a reusable water system. Before the official launch on Thursday, the Goyang branch will be open for two days exclusively for those who hold Ikea Family membership. Meanwhile, Ikea Korea is facing a shift in its business environment here as the government has been making moves to implement laws that may affect its management strategy, such as a recent decision to make tax audits on some limited liability companies obligatory. During the press event, Schmidtgall stating that Ikea Korea fully abides to domestic laws and that the company is always open for dialogues. In response to a proposal to force complex malls to close for two days a month, Schmidtgall said that he does not consider Ikea a “complex mall” because its focus is on home furniture, not retail goods in general, and it is registered by the government as a specialized store, implying that it’s hard to label Ikea a “complex mall” that may threaten local merchants. There have been rumors that Ikea may be planning to open a store in Hanam, Gyeonggi. Schmidtgall ruled out the idea, saying the company has never even looked into the site and has absolutely no plans to do so in the near future.