Nestled in a sleepy Swedish town lies a colossal store, attracting millions of visitors with its record-breaking size and unbeatable prices.
A sprawling department store five times the size of a football field has become an international sensation, drawing tourists from around the globe to browse through its 100,000 products spread across 25 departments.
Nestled in the southern region of Sweden, the unassuming town of Ullared is home to merely 800 inhabitants. Despite its modest appearance, this little town attracts thousands of visitors daily, all because of Gekås Ullared, the world’s largest department store. Established in 1963 by entrepreneur Göran Karlsson, this retail giant boasts 2,000 employees and can accommodate up to 5,500 eager shoppers simultaneously.
Gekås Ullared is not only a vital economic engine for the surrounding region but also a major revenue generator for Sweden as a whole. With approximately 5,000,000 annual visitors, this shopping mecca has become the country’s top tourist attraction and one of the most popular worldwide. The steady flow of visitors has spurred other businesses to open branches in the area, further stimulating the local economy.
On Saturdays, the department store’s popularity is most evident, as people form queues hundreds of meters long and wait for hours to enter. During the summer, around 3,000 visitors even choose to spend the night in the store’s housing complex, which offers motels, caravan sites, and log cabins.
According to store manager Jan Wallberg, “Gekås Ullared is not just a department store, it’s a travel destination. You come here for the overall experience.” What sets it apart from other retailers, apart from its sheer size, are the unbeatable deals it offers.
“We are the cheapest on the market for all goods. We don’t have campaigns; everything is always up to two-thirds cheaper than elsewhere, all year round,” Wallberg added.
The colossal store has achieved cult status in Sweden, with reality TV shows featuring shoppers and employees, royal visits from King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia, and companies rewarding employees with free weekends at Gekås as bonuses.
So, how vast is the world’s largest department store? Spanning a staggering 376,735 sq. feet, Gekås Ullared easily surpasses the largest Walmart in the US in terms of size. As if that weren’t enough, the department store continues to grow, solidifying its status as a one-of-a-kind shopping destination that captures the imagination of millions.
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Source: Odditycentral
