Ambassador Håkan Malmqvist, the managing director for IKEA in Greece Mr Fourlis, the Mayor of Larisa, Mr Komitsas, and the manager of business relations at IKEA International Patrik Lindvall, delivered speeches just before the traditional cutting off the thick log. 

Four Greek orthodox priests blessed the department store and the customers and  at 10 o´clock the doors swing open and customers poured in to the store.

In a year another IKEA store is planned to open in Ioannina. It would then become the fifth department store in Greece, making IKEA cover the country from north to south.