IKEA Memphis Store One Step Closer to Reality

By Ioana Neamt, Associate Editor

Rendering of IKEA’s future Memphis store

The 271,000-square-foot IKEA Memphis store that has been in the planning stages for months is now one step closer to fruition. The Swedish retailer has hired contractors for the development of its future store, to be located just 15 miles of downtown Memphis, Tenn. Pending remaining development permits, the store is scheduled to break ground in late 2015 and open its doors to customers in the fall of 2016.

IKEA has selected Linkous Construction Co. of Memphis to act as construction manager for the site work and store development project. The team working on the project also includes CBRE, Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz, Burch Porter & Johnson, Kimley-Horn & Associates, Pangean CMD Associates, Brophy-Heineke & Associates, and GreenbergFarrow.

IKEA’s future Memphis store will incorporate close to 10,000 exclusively designed items, 50 room settings, three model home interiors, supervised children’s playground, nearly 1,000 parking places, and a 350-seat restaurant serving both Swedish and American dishes. The project will create more than 500 construction jobs and 225 permanent jobs following completion.

“With a contractor onboard, plans can proceed towards opening the future IKEA Memphis,” Lars Petersson, president of IKEA U.S., said in a statement. “This store will provide a more convenient IKEA shopping experience for current and potential customers throughout Tennessee and the Mid-South, growing our IKEA presence in the Southeastern U.S.”

The Swedish retailer’s U.S. presence currently includes stores in Atlanta, Ga., Frisco, Texas, and a St. Louis, Mo. store that opened this September.

Image courtesy of IKEA