Daily News
From Home Furnishing Business
Ikea Breaks Ground in Columbus, Ohio
May 26,
2016 by in Industry, Store Openings 
With company representatives, Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginther, Council President Zach Klein, and other local officials and community leaders, leading home furnishings retailer, IKEA broke ground yesterday on its future Columbus store.
Slated to open in Summer 2017, this is the second IKEA store in Ohio.
The 355,000-square-foot future IKEA and its 1,100 parking spaces will be built on 33 acres approximately 15 miles north of downtown Columbus. The plans reflect the same unique architectural design for which IKEA stores are known worldwide. IKEA will also evaluate potential on-site power generation to complement its current U.S. renewable energy presence at nearly 90% of its U.S. locations.
“This location will help bring the unique IKEA family-friendly shopping experience closer to many Columbus-area customers who currently can shop only at IKEA stores elsewhere or online,” said Lars Petersson, IKEA U.S. president. “The store also will attract new customers from throughout Central Ohio who value good design, good function and affordable prices, but have not had a chance yet to shop at IKEA.”
IKEA Columbus will 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 and 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 expected to be created during the construction phase, approximately 300 coworkers will join the IKEA family when the new store opens. IKEA Columbus will also provide significant annual property and sales tax revenue for local governments and schools.