BURBANK, CA, 2015-3-27 — /EPR Retail News/ — IKEA, the world’s leading home furnishings retailer, today began demolishing 19 buildings totaling 455,000 square-feet on the site where it will construct a new, larger store in Burbank, CA, less than one mile away from the company’s oldest store in the Western United States. Razing the buildings will make room for construction of the planned new Burbank store. Until the new, roomier store opens on the new site, customers can continue to shop at the existing IKEA Burbank. (Other nearby IKEA stores are in: Carson, Costa Mesa and Covina.)
The current 242,000-square-foot IKEA Burbank, the first IKEA store in California and sixth in the U.S., opened November 1990 on 6.4 acres along I-5 at San Fernando Boulevard. The future 456,000-square-foot store and its more than 1,700 convenient parking spaces will be built on 22 acres west of San Fernando Boulevard and south of Providencia Avenue, providing customers with improved accessibility. IKEA has contracted with VCC Construction to build the store and plans reflect the same unique architectural design for which IKEA stores are known worldwide. Just as the existing Burbank store has a solar photovoltaic array atop its roof, IKEA hopes to install a similar solar energy system as part of the relocated store.
“We are thrilled by the progress represented by this demolition milestone as we prepare to construct our new version of IKEA Burbank,” said Rob Olson, IKEA US CFO. “With nearly 25 years operating in Burbank, we look forward to many more years at this new location where we can offer many of our Southern California customers an updated, spacious and enhanced IKEA shopping experience.”
Actual store construction likely will commence this fall after completion of the demolition and site preparation. Additionally, reflecting the company’s commitment to sustainability, IKEA is working to recycle, repurpose or salvage as much of the existing buildings’ equipment, materials, and parts as possible.
The new, more spacious IKEA Burbank will feature a larger quantity of the nearly 10,000 exclusively designed items, 50 inspirational room-settings, three model home interiors, a supervised children’s play area, and a larger restaurant for serving Swedish specialties. Other family-friendly features include a ‘Children’s IKEA’ area in the showroom, baby-care rooms, preferred parking and play areas throughout the store. IKEA also now offers a product picking and delivery service, and an IKEA Family loyalty program. In addition to the nearly 400 Burbank coworkers already part of the global IKEA family, IKEA will generate even more annual sales and property tax revenue for the City and local schools.
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 360 IKEA stores in 47 countries, including 40 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, @IKEAUSA, @IKEAUSANews, or IKEAUSA on Facebook, Youtube, Instagram and Pinterest.
Contact: Joseph Roth, Expansion Public Affairs
(610) 834-0180, x 6500