Daily News
From Home Furnishing Business
Ikea Adds Customer Distribution Center in Lakeland, FL
August 9,
2018 by Laurie Northington in Business Strategy, Industry 
Home furnishings retailer Ikea has announced the lease of additional warehouse space in Lakeland, FL to serve as a Customer Distribution Center, supporting the Tampa, Orlando and Miami markets.
The new facility will also fulfill parcel orders for the entire Southeast and will strengthen the company’s existing network of nine regional distribution centers while supporting its 48 stores in the U.S.
“As we grow our e-commerce presence, we want to provide our customers with shorter lead times and a higher-quality experience when shopping at Ikea,” said Lars Petersson, president Ikea U.S. “The new distribution center in Lakeland provides opportunity to optimize customer accessibility in the Southeast and allows us to continue meeting the home furnishing needs of our customers.”
The distribution center is planned to open in early 2019 and will be comprised of 326,000 square feet of leased space off Allen K. Breed Highway, 28 miles from downtown Tampa. The project represents the sixth Ikea location in Fla. and is expected to bring 200 jobs to the Tampa area.
The fulfillment center will focus on delivering items to customers who order products online. The site will be operated by DHL Supply Chain, a leader in contract logistics and a division of Deutsche Post DHL Group.