For the tourists researching places to visit in Sweden, a department store might slip into the list as a must-see attraction. Approximately five million visitors each year were seen browsing through aisles in this department store that over time became acknowledged as the country’s most popular visitor attraction.
Gekas Ullared, the superstore located in the town of Ullared in Halland County and measures 434,900 square feet, is one of the world’s biggest department stores with 22 departments selling about 100,000 products. It can be every shopper’s dream; it has two hotels, a motel, several log cabin rentals and a camping ground in close proximity for people who want to stay overnight.
People travel far to get to this place since the average customer travels 140 miles to get to the store. There are good deals that lure shoppers but be prepared for long line-ups with peak shopping times on Saturdays. A line of shoppers measured almost a mile in length.
There are 3,200 parking spaces in the superstore’s car park, room for around 100 vehicles in the caravan and motorhome parking lot and the bus parking lot has space for up to 45 buses.
Plus, there is a list of attractions outside the superstore such as a padel court, a kids’ playground, a minigolf course, a sauna experience with wood-burning hot tubs and a ski slope for the colder months.
Store executive Jan Wallberg told said: “Gekas Ullared is not just a department store. It’s a travel destination. You come here for the overall experience. People also go to Paris to shop, just like we do.”
The prices must be good enough for people to sit in the car for a few hours. The store’s website claims: “Our business idea is to sell everything for the home that fits in a car at unbeatably low prices.”