Vucic: IKEA a development project

BELGRADE - IKEA is a development project, not only for Belgrade, Mladenovac and Sopot, but for Smederevo, Smederevska Palanka and Pozarevac, all the way to Velika Plana, Serbian PM Aleksandar Vucic said Friday, announcing more investments in that part of the country.

Vucic was visiting the construction site of what will be the first IKEA department store in Serbia, situated at Bubanj Potok, near Belgrade.

IKEA currently has 50 employees in Serbia, but will hire 250 more in January and February.

Vucic said IKEA was also interested in buying more facilities in Serbia, but declined to elaborate.

"They want to get into what, for us, is a significant plant owned by a Serbian company, and they are in talks about this with the Serbian government. We would be glad if that ended in a success," Vucic said.

The IKEA department store should be...