Swedish furniture giant, IKEA, which will open its second store in Cheras soon, plans to expand further and set up operations in Johor and Penang.

IKEA Retail Director for Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, Mike King, said the company was currently searching for locations to set up the stores in Johor and Penang.

"We are working on possible sites for the stores in both states. It is likely to be Johor first and then Penang. I would say that the stores will be opened within this decade," he told reporters at the pre-launch of IKEA Cheras here today.

Asked if IKEA also planned to open stores in Sabah and Sarawak, King said the company was always looking at expanding its business but has not made any decision yet.

IKEA today announced that it would be opening its second store in Jalan Cochrane in Cheras by end of November this year.

With the opening of IKEA Cheras, IKEA would have five stores in South-East Asia, with two in Malaysia, two in Singapore and one in Thailand.