Ljubljana Mayor Zoran Janković said plans to launch an Ikea shopping centre set down in a memorandum of understanding between the city and the company in September 2014 were progressing well.

A preliminary agreement with Triglav Upravljanje nepremičnin, the real estate arm of insurer Zavarovalnica Triglav, was signed in March last year on the purchase of a plot in Ljubljana's BTC shopping district.

It is unclear how quickly all the required procedures can be carried out for the start of construction, but Slovenian media reported last year that the Swedish giant aimed to open the centre in 2018.

Janković said the arrival of Ikea was the latest in a series of positive developments for the Slovenian capital.

"Ljubljana is becoming an increasingly attractive opportunity for large investors," he said.

He added that negotiations with Ikea took nine years, but both sides followed through the coordinated plan and resolved all issues related to the project.

The BTC shopping area sees about 21 million shoppers each year, but the addition of Ikea is expected to raise the number to 30 million.