Ikea going bigger in Burbank

Burbank, Calif. -- Ikea on Wednesday broke ground on a new store that is located less than one mile away from the company’s first-ever store in California and oldest location in the Western United States.



Ikea is building a new, larger store in Burbank, California. Until it opens on the new site in spring 2017, customers can continue to shop at the existing 242,000-sq.-ft. Ikea in Burbank, which was its sixth overall U.S. store and opened in November 1990.



Ikea has contracted with VCC Construction to build the new 456,000-sq.-ft. Burbank store. Just as the existing location has a solar photovoltaic array atop its roof, the retailer hopes to install a similar solar energy system atop the relocated store.



The new, more spacious Ikea Burbank will feature a larger quantity of the nearly 10,000 exclusively designed items, 50 inspirational room-settings, three model home interiors, a supervised children’s play area, and a larger (600-seat) restaurant serving Swedish specialties. 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, the company now offers a product picking and delivery service and a family loyalty program. It also has begun visiting homes in areas where it has stores so design solutions can better reflect local living situations.