Ikea stores can be found throughout the US—in Merriam, Kansas; Bolingbrook, Illinois; and Grand Prairie, Texas, to name a few locations—but you won’t find one in the heart of San Francisco, Chicago, Manhattan, or any other urban city center for that matter. (True, it has stores in Las Vegas, Philadelphia, and Brooklyn, but they’re located on the outskirts, where there’s ample room for big box stores and their adjoining never-ending parking lots.) That’s about to change, the Swedish retailer announced this Monday.
This spring, Ikea is opening its first American urban outpost in the Upper East Side of Manhattan. But it won’t have to tear down buildings to make room for it. That’s because it won’t be a typical Ikea store; instead, it will be an Ikea Planning Studio, a downsized version that is geared toward a younger market interested in small-space living.
“The location will open at 999 Third Avenue, NY, NY in Spring 2019 and will focus on smart solutions for urban living and small spaces. It will give customers the opportunity to discover, select and order IKEA products for delivery to their home, which is what urban residents want and need,” the company stated in a press release.
Ikea has already opened a Planning Studio in London, pictured above, this fall; along with the Manhattan locale, a Paris Planning Studio will also open this spring. The company has plans to roll out 30 such stores globally over the next three years.
For recent articles on Ikea, see:
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