IKEA Breaks Ground on Fifth Store in The Sunshine State

By Robert Demeter

IKEA Jacksonville Groundbreaking

Jacksonville, Fla.—Swedish retailer IKEA has officially begun construction on the proposed 290,000-square-foot store in Jacksonville, with opening slated for fall 2017. Company representatives, along with Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry, Councilman Danny Becton, local officials and community leaders attended the groundbreaking on Thursday.

IKEA Jacksonville will be built on a 25-acre parcel along the northwestern corner of Interstate 295 and Gate Parkway, approximately 10 miles southeast of downtown Jacksonville. The retail giant has selected Marcobay Construction Inc. to build the project, and store plans reflect the same architectural design for which IKEA stores are known worldwide. In addition, IKEA plans to evaluate potential on-site power generation to complement its current U.S. goal of a renewable energy presence at nearly 90 percent 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,” Lars Petersson, IKEA U.S. president, said in prepared remarks. “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.”

The new shopping center will feature nearly 10,000 exclusively designed items, 50 inspirational room settings, three model home interiors, a supervised children’s play area, a 325-seat restaurant and a total of 950 parking spaces. Additional amenities include a ‘Children’s IKEA’ area in the showroom, baby care rooms and play areas throughout the store.

More than 500 jobs that are expected to be created during the construction phase, and approximately 250 employees will join the IKEA family when the store opens. IKEA Jacksonville will also provide significant annual sales and property tax revenue for local governments and schools.

IKEA Jacksonville will be the fifth IKEA store to open in Florida, joining IKEA Orlando, Tampa, Sunrise, Fla., and Sweetwater, Fla.

Most recently, the company announced the opening dates for its first Tennessee and Indiana stores.

Image courtesy of IKEA