JACKSONVILLE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--With company representatives, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry, Councilman Danny Becton, local officials and community leaders on-hand, IKEA, the world’s leading home furnishings retailer, today officially broke ground on its fifth Florida store. Until the future IKEA Jacksonville opens in Fall 2017, customers can shop at IKEA Orlando and IKEA Tampa or online at IKEA-USA.com. Two other IKEA stores are located in the South Florida cities of Sunrise and Sweetwater.
The 290,000-square-foot proposed IKEA store and its 950 parking spaces will be built on 25 acres along the northwestern corner of Interstate 295 and Gate Parkway, approximately 10 miles southeast of downtown Jacksonville. IKEA has contracted with Marcobay Construction, Inc. to build the project, and store plans reflect the same unique architectural design for which IKEA stores are known worldwide. In addition, IKEA will evaluate potential on-site power generation to complement its current U.S. goal of a renewable energy presence at nearly 90% of its U.S. locations.
“This location will help bring the unique IKEA family-friendly shopping experience closer to many Jacksonville-area customers who currently can only shop at IKEA stores elsewhere or online,” said Lars Petersson, IKEA U.S. president. “The store also will attract new customers from North Florida and Southern Georgia who value good design, good function and affordable prices, but have not had a chance yet to shop at IKEA.”
IKEA Jacksonville will feature nearly 10,000 exclusively designed items, 50 inspirational room-settings, three model home interiors, a supervised children’s play area, and a 325-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 to be created during the construction phase, approximately 250 coworkers will join the IKEA family when the new store opens. IKEA Jacksonville also will provide significant annual sales and property tax revenue for local governments and schools.
Candidates interested in working at this employer of choice should begin looking online this spring at IKEA-USA.com, where they can apply for diverse positions available in home furnishings sales, interior decoration, customer service, safety and security, cashiers, maintenance, goods flow, receiving, warehouse and stock replenishment. Among its total coworkers, IKEA Jacksonville also will offer more than 50 food service opportunities in its Restaurant, Swedish Foodmarket, Café Bistro and coworker cafeteria.
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 380 IKEA stores in 48 countries, including 42 in the U.S. IKEA has been included in rankings of “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. For more information see IKEA-USA.com, @IKEAUSA, @IKEAUSANews, or IKEAUSA on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Pinterest.
