IKEA Asia revenue contribution to triple

"It's possible," Ian Duffy, IKEA president for Asia Pacific, told Reuters in an interview.

"That is very significant, and the group is growing as well."

IKEA plans to add six new stores in the Asia-Pacific region next year -- three in China and three in Japan -- on top of the nine stores the IKEA Group now manages in the region.

The group also has eight stores in Asia operated as franchises in Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong.

That expansion will help sustain already strong Asia-Pacific revenue growth, said the 20-year IKEA veteran.

"You can say Asia-Pacific turnover will double this year," he said ahead of Reuters China Summit next week.

Forecast revenues for this year are nearly $27 billion, and IKEA expects to keep up its pace of 20 new store openings a year. The executive did not break down the revenue figures and was coy about the profitability of IKEA in China.

"We are ahead of our financial ambitions that we put in place in 2002," he said, referring to the year he arrived in the region.

"The group and I are very satisfied with the performance of the last few years."