According to store manager Abdelhak Ayadi, the unit will open on 30 March and during an initial phase will employ 200 people.

During a press conference Ayadi said the number of employees at the store could increase to 250 during summer.

He added he believes to store will attract clients not only from across the Algarve but also from southern Spain.

It is the first Ikea store in the Algarve and the fifth in Portugal, and took years to complete following a series of injunctions and legal proceedings.