(Yicai Global) July 9 -- Sweden's Ikea expects to add 200 new workers to its Shanghai team as it looks to build the Ikea China Digital Innovation Center in the city to expand its China presence and develop technology that could help the retail sector for furniture.

The facility will research 3D design, mobile terminal solutions, app development, social media, big data and in-store customer experiences, the Shanghai Observer reported yesterday. The now Netherlands-headquartered firm currently has between 2,000 and 3,000 employees in information technology functions worldwide.

"We hope to further expand our China business through digitization," said Yu Fuquan, senior director of global digital technology. "We'll promote the best products coming out of the innovation center to the rest of the group to share in other markets."

Ikea entered the Chinese market in 1998 and now has 26 stores open for business, most in the nation's more developed eastern region. The country is its fifth largest global market, according to public data.

Editor: James Boynton