CONSHOHOCKEN, PA, 2014-3-20 — /EPR Retail News/ — IKEA, the world’s leading home furnishings retailer, today announced plans to expand the warehouse of its Detroit-area store in Canton, MI. As a result of this work, IKEA Canton, which opened June 2006 at 311,000 square feet in size, would grow nearly 44,000 SF to the new size of approximately 355,000 SF. Initial utility work would begin this coming summer with actual construction activity starting in Fall 2014. The store would remain open and operational during construction, maintaining its full product offering throughout the project’s completion in Spring 2015.
The project would include expanding the Self-Serve Furniture Area (where shoppers collect flat-packed furniture to take home on the same day), rearranging customer service functions to the newly built part of the store and enlarging the home delivery area. This extension would blend seamlessly into the existing structure so the store can preserve the unique architectural design for which IKEA stores are known worldwide.
“IKEA is thrilled with the success of IKEA Canton. But, as our customer base and sales continue to grow – along with our product assortment – the store’s warehouse capacity now is less than ideal,” said Matt Hunsicker, IKEA Canton store manager. “Extending the store’s Self-Serve Furniture Area so it can hold more products would allow us to improve the shopping experience, to meet our customers’ needs more easily, and to enhance our ability to keep lowering prices.” Increased goods availability and the opportunity for the store to inventory more stock would result in transport savings continually passed on to customers.
For less than a year, IKEA Canton would undergo phased implementation of a reconfigured Self-Serve Furniture Area, a larger ‘As-Is’ section, as well as larger and shifted customer service areas such as Furniture Pick-Up and an expanded Home Delivery area. The Exit Bistro and Swedish Foodmarket, however, would stay in their current locations. During construction and build-up of this extension, the full product selection would remain available onsite. Ultimately, the warehouse would increase from 75,294 SF to 113,294 SF. IKEA alsowould demolish the adjacent building to make room for the addition to IKEA Canton.
IKEA would aim to minimize any disruption or inconvenience to customers during the construction of the building’s extension. “This project may require some flexibility by our customers, but we are confident it will create an enhanced shopping experience with access to a bigger product selection and greater quantities of each item,” added Hunsicker.
Located on approximately 30 acres along Ford Road off I-275 at the intersection with Haggerty Road, the 311,000-square-foot IKEA Canton opened in June 2006. In addition to 10,000 exclusively designed items, the store presents 52 different room-settings, three model home interiors, a supervised children’s play area, and a 350-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. Also, IKEA installed Michigan’s largest solar array atop the roof of the store in 2012.
Since its 1943 founding in Sweden, IKEA has offered home furnishings of good design and function at low prices so the majority of people can afford them. There are currently more than 350 IKEA stores in 44 countries, including 38 in the U.S. IKEA incorporates sustainability into day-to-day business and supports initiatives that benefit children and the environment. For more information, see IKEA-USA.com, @IKEAUSANews, @DesignByIKEA or IKEAUSA on facebook, youtube, instagram and pinterest.
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