CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--IKEA, the world’s leading home furnishings retailer, expressed its appreciation to the City Council of Norfolk, Virginia for its unanimous approval this afternoon of plans for the Swedish company’s Hampton Roads store that would increase the IKEA presence in the southeastern U.S. as its second store in the state. Pending remaining approvals and permits, construction could begin in Summer 2017, with an opening in Summer 2018. Until then, local customers can shop at IKEA stores in Woodbridge, VA and Charlotte, NC, or online at IKEA-USA.com.
Located centrally within the Hampton Roads area and eight miles east of downtown Norfolk, the 331,000-square-foot proposed IKEA store and 1,200 parking spaces would be built on nearly 19 acres at the northwestern corner of Interstate 64 and Northampton Boulevard. Store plans reflect the same unique architectural design for which IKEA stores are known worldwide. IKEA also will evaluate potential on-site power generation to complement its current U.S. renewable energy presence at nearly 90% of its U.S. locations.
“We are humbled by the support from Norfolk officials and staff in favor of an IKEA store on land included on the City’s regional growth plan,” said IKEA U.S. president Lars Petersson. “IKEA Norfolk will bring the unique IKEA shopping experience closer to Hampton Roads shoppers who have not been to an IKEA store or are not able to visit frequently.”
IKEA Norfolk would feature nearly 10,000 exclusively designed items, 50 inspirational room-settings, three model home interiors, a supervised children’s play area, and a 450-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 would join the IKEA family when the new store opens. IKEA Norfolk also would provide significant annual sales and property tax revenue for state and local governments and schools.
Drawing from its Swedish heritage and respect of nature, IKEA strives to minimize its operations’ carbon emissions because reducing its environmental impact makes good business sense. IKEA evaluates locations regularly for conservation opportunities, integrates innovative materials into product design, works to maintain sustainable resources, and flat-packs goods for efficient distribution. U.S. sustainable efforts include: recycling waste material; incorporating key measures into buildings with energy-efficient HVAC and lighting systems, recycled construction materials, warehouse skylights, and water-conserving restrooms; and operationally, eliminating plastic bags from the check-out process, phasing-out the sale of incandescent light bulbs, facilitating recycling compact fluorescent bulbs, and sells only LED bulbs. IKEA U.S. has installed electric vehicle charging stations at 15 locations, has solar arrays at 90% of its locations, and owns two wind farms in the U.S.
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 390 IKEA stores in 48 countries, including 43 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, @IKEAUSANews, @IKEAUSA or IKEAUSA on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Pinterest.
