Retail

IKEA to Open Planning Studio in Manhattan

Swedish retail giant IKEA plans to open its first store Planning Studio in Manhattan next Spring on Third Avenue. This will be IKEA’s first city center store in the U.S., marking the company’s transformation and commitment to bringing IKEA into the heart of urban areas.

Unlike IKEA stores in the suburbs, this Manhattan location won’t have a cafe so you can’t eat any Swedish meatballs the chain is famous for. There also won’t be furniture you can buy and bring back home immediately. It will only be available for delivery.

The Planning Studio concept was co-created with New Yorkers who provided input to IKEA throughout the planning process. The location will open at 999 Third Avenue, NY, NY in Spring 2019 and will focus smart solutions for urban living and small spaces. It will give customers the opportunity to discover, select and order IKEA products for delivery to their home, which is what urban residents want and need.

Globally, IKEA is adapting and evolving to be more accessible and convenient for customers wherever they are and they recently announced the development of 30 new touchpoints in city centers over the next three years. The New York City location is the first market in the U.S. for the Planning Studio concept.

“We recognize that we are in a rapidly changing retail environment, and to be fit for long-term growth, IKEA is transforming in a way that lets us meet our customers where they are,” said Lars Petersson, Country Manager, IKEA Retail U.S. “New York City is the natural choice to open the first city center store – the most vibrant, dynamic city in the US, and the epicenter of retail, business, and culture.”

IKEA U.S. has already made significant investments to enhance its e-commerce experience and service offerings, including new lower priced shipping & delivery, Click & Collect, financing and TaskRabbit assembly services. The IKEA Planning Studio will complement the existing stores in the New York market with stores in Brooklyn, Elizabeth, Long Island and Paramus. The company will also remodel the Brooklyn store, and recently opened a new customer fulfilment center in Staten Island to deliver products to customers in the market.