IKEA, the world’s leading home furnishings retailer, recently announced it is submitting plans to the City of Norfolk, Virginia for a store that would increase the Swedish company’s presence in the Southeastern U.S. as its second store in Virginia. Pending approvals, construction of the proposed IKEA Norfolk store could begin in Spring 2017, with an opening in Summer 2018. Until then, customers can shop at IKEA stores in Woodbridge, VA and Charlotte, NC, or online at IKEA-USA.com.
Located centrally within the Hampton Roads area, and eight miles east of downtown Norfolk, the 331,000-square-foot proposed IKEA store and 1,000 parking spaces would be built on 19 acres at the northwestern corner of Interstate 64 and Northampton Boulevard. Store plans reflect the same unique architectural design for which IKEA stores are known worldwide. IKEA also will evaluate potential on-site power generation to complement its current U.S. renewable energy presence at nearly 90% of its U.S. locations.
“We are excited at the possibility of growing our Southeastern U.S. presence with a Norfolk store,” said IKEA U.S. president Lars Petersson. “A location in this retail corridor would provide our nearly 35,000 Hampton Roads customers their own store and introduce the unique IKEA shopping experience to others throughout southeast Virginia.”
The proposed IKEA Norfolk would feature nearly 10,000 exclusively designed items, 50 inspirational room-settings, three model home interiors, a supervised children’s play area, and a 450-seat restaurant serving Swedish specialties such as meatballs with lingonberries and salmon plates, as well as American dishes. Other family-friendly features include a ‘Children’s IKEA’ area in the Showroom, baby care rooms, play areas throughout the store, and preferred parking. In addition to the more than 500 jobs that are expected during the construction phase, approximately 250 coworkers would join the IKEA family when the new store opens. IKEA Norfolk also would provide significant annual sales and property tax revenue for local governments and schools.
This project would represent the third significant investment by IKEA in the state of Virginia. Besides this proposed Norfolk store and the store in Woodbridge, there also is an IKEA furniture factory in Danville that opened in 2008.
Drawing from its Swedish heritage and respect of nature, IKEA strives to minimize its operations’ carbon emissions because reducing its environmental impact makes good business sense. IKEA evaluates locations regularly for conservation opportunities, integrates innovative materials into product design, works to maintain sustainable resources, and flat-packs goods for efficient distribution. U.S. sustainable efforts include: recycling waste material; incorporating key measures into buildings with energy-efficient HVAC and lighting systems, recycled construction materials, warehouse skylights, and water-conserving restrooms; and operationally, eliminating plastic bags from the check-out process, and selling only LED bulbs/fixtures. IKEA U.S. has installed electric vehicle charging stations at 13 locations and solar arrays at 90% of its locations, and owns two wind farms in the U.S.
About IKEA
Since its 1943 founding in Sweden, IKEA has offered home furnishings of good design and function at affordable prices. There are currently more than 380 IKEA stores in 48 countries, including 42 in the U.S. IKEA has been ranked among “Best Companies to Work For” and, as further investment in its coworkers, has raised its own minimum wage twice in two years. IKEA incorporates sustainability into day-to-day business and supports initiatives that benefit children and the environment.
SOURCE: IKEA
