New York City is getting a new Ikea, but you won’t be able to get your Swedish meatball fix in the food court before perusing a warehouse full of färlöv sofas.
A different kind of Ikea is slated to open in Spring 2019 in Manhattan, becoming the first store in a new effort by the Swedish company to set up shop in city centers across the United States.
Rather than the cavernous stores that stretch out across thousands of square feet (the Red Hook Ikea, for reference, is a total of 346,000 square feet), the new Manhattan Ikea will be 17,530 square feet over three floors, a company spokesperson said.
The company calls the upcoming smaller Manhattan store an “Ikea Planning Studio,” a concept that was co-created by New Yorkers who gave input to the company through a planning process.
Manhattan Ikea will focus on ‘urban living’
The Manhattan Ikea will give customers the chance to choose and order procucts “for delivery to their home, which is what urban residents want and need,” according to the company.
The store will also focus on “smart solutions for urban living and small spaces.” The Manhattan Ikea will open in Spring 2019 at 999 Third Avenue.
There are currently no plans to include a restaurant or bistro in the Planning Studio, a spokesperson said, and as the majority of the products will be for delivery only, there will be no warehouse either.
“We recognize that we are in a rapidly changing retail environment, and to be fit for long-term growth, Ikea is transforming in a way that lets us meet our customers where they are,” Lars Petersson, Country Manager for Ikea Retail U.S., said in a statement.
“New York City is the natural choice to open the first city center store – the most vibrant, dynamic city in the U.S.,” he added, “and the epicenter of retail, business, and culture.”
The Manhattan store is part of a bigger effort, the company added, to make Ikea more accessible and convenient for shoppers around the world. The company is planning 30 new “touchpoints” in U.S. city centers.
Ikea recently opened a new customer fulfillment center in Staten Island and plans to remodel the Brooklyn Ikea, as well. Over the next two years, Ikea aims to create 11,500 new jobs around the world through these urban stores. However, the company also said 7,500 jobs “may be redundant” as the company makes these changes. In the U.S., the company only expects to lay off 75 employees for “redundant” jobs.
