There were recently rumors about IKEA building its next branch in the region of Bet Shemesh after being frustrated by the bureaucracy when trying to close on a location in Jerusalem.

The rumors had been confirmed at the time, a few months ago, but they still pointed to the fact that IKEA was just looking in the Bet Shemesh area as an alternative and no decision had been made yet.

The search is over and Mynet has announced that IKEA has now finalized the deal and signed a contract to build its next branch in the area of Eshtaol, near Bet Shemesh.

According to RBSN, when the rumors spread back then, City Councilman Shmuel Greenberg saw an opportunity to perhaps bring IKEA to Bet Shemesh, thereby bringing a lot of money and jobs to Bet Shemesh. He made all the efforts hat he could but IKEA decided to sign in Eshtaol, where presumably the land and taxes were cheaper, but still close enough to Bet Shemesh.

No word on how long it will take, but being that this is just the beginning of the process, you can expect to wait a few years for the new branch to be built and ready for business.

The best part of this will surely be the Swedish meatballs now available nearby at a reasonable price.