IKEA Columbus Opens in the Midwest

Furniture World News Desk on 6/27/2017

IKEA, the world’s leading home furnishings retailer, recently opened the doors of its Columbus store to customers. The 354,000 square-foot IKEA Columbus is located on 33 acres at the northeastern corner of Interstate-71 and Gemini Place in the Polaris Centers of Commerce. It is the Swedish company’s second store and restaurant destination in Ohio, 44th in the United States, and 397th worldwide. (A Cincinnati-area store opened in West Chester, Ohio in 2008.) IKEA Columbus employs approximately 325 coworkers and features 10,000 exclusively-designed items, a 450-seat IKEA Restaurant, 41 inspirational room settings, three model home interiors, a supervised children’s play area and approximately 1,100 parking spaces with three electric vehicle charging stations. Reflecting the company’s renewable energy presence at 90% of its U.S. locations, IKEA installed one of Ohio’s largest rooftop solar arrays atop IKEA Columbus.

“We are excited to bring the unique IKEA family-friendly shopping experience and affordable home furnishings of good design to Columbus and Central Ohio,” said David Garcia, store manager. “The enthusiasm of coworkers about this big day and the warm reception from the community are translating into excitement and a great shopping event for our customers.”

Before the doors opened, Garcia welcomed the community with a traditional Swedish log-sawing ceremony, bringing good luck to the new store and its guests. In addition to brief remarks by Ohio Lieutenant Governor Mary Taylor, Columbus City Council President Pro Tem Priscilla Tyson, Deputy Chief of Mission for the Swedish Embassy Göran Lithell, and IKEA U.S. president Lars Petersson, Garcia was joined by Delaware County Commission President Jeff Benton who raised the U.S. flag, Designated Swedish Consul for Ohio Malou Monago who raised the Swedish flag, and Westerville Mayor Kathy Cocuzzi who raised the Ohio flag. Individual store coworkers sang the respective American and Swedish national anthems and “America the Beautiful” to accompany the flag-raisings.

More about IKEA: With IKEA Columbus now open, there are 397 IKEA stores in 48 countries, including 44 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. IKEA has been included in rankings of “Best Companies to Work For” and strives to be an employer of choice. IKEA incorporates sustainability into day-to-day business and supports initiatives that benefit children and the environment. For more information, visit IKEA-USA.com