Architectural rendering of Proposed IKEA Nashville
IKEA, the world’s leading home furnishings retailer, Thursday announced it is submitting plans to the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County for a store that would increase the Swedish company’s U.S. presence with its second store in the state. Pending approvals, construction of IKEA Nashville could begin in Spring 2019 with an opening in Summer 2020. Until then, customers can shop at the closest IKEA stores in Atlanta and Memphis (which opened in December 2016), or online at IKEA-USA.com.
Located approximately 13 miles southeast of downtown Nashville in the Antioch area, the 341,000-square-foot proposed IKEA store and its approximately 1,100 parking spaces would be built on 36 acres on the western side of Interstate 24, south of Bell Road and accessible from a new Hickory Hollow Parkway interchange as part of the 300-acre Century Farms master-planned mixed-use development. Store plans for IKEA Nashville will 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 percent of its U.S. locations.
“We are excited at the possibility of growing our southeastern U.S. presence with a Nashville store,” said IKEA U.S. President Lars Petersson. “This location would provide our already 140,000 Nashville-area customers their own store and introduce the unique IKEA shopping experience to others throughout Middle Tennessee.”
IKEA Nashville 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, 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 during the construction phase, approximately 250 coworkers would join the IKEA family when the new store opens. IKEA Nashville also would provide significant annual sales and property tax revenue for local governments and schools, said officials.
Drawing from its Swedish heritage and respect of nature, IKEA believe it makes business sense to minimize environmental impacts and contribute to a low-carbon society. IKEA evaluates locations 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; key measures in 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, and selling only LED lighting. IKEA U.S. has installed electric vehicle charging stations at 27 locations and solar arrays at 90 percent of its locations, and owns two U.S. wind farms.
Since its 1943 founding in Sweden, IKEA has offered home furnishings of good design and function at affordable prices. There are currently more than 390 IKEA stores in 48 countries, including 43 in the U.S. IKEA has been ranked among “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.