Memphis Ikea to open in December
Eastside store will be first location for Swedish retailer in Tennessee
Two stores regarded as new landmarks for Memphis are getting ready to open — Ikea on the eastside and Kroger in Midtown.
Ikea’s Memphis store will open at 9 a.m. Dec. 14, the Swedish retailer said Wednesday.
The 271,000-square-foot home furnishings store is the company’s first in Tennessee and 43rd in the United States.
The merchant was considered exclusive enough to have opened the way for a special provision securing tax breaks for a retail store.
Memphis and Shelby County government and economic development agencies awarded $11 million in incentives and changed the road name leading to the store off Germantown Parkway to Ikea Way.
Ikea’s statement says: “Customers can begin liningup at the store on Monday, December 12, 2016 — 48 hours in advance of the doors’ opening on December 14 — and soon can learn of more grand opening plans and promotions at IKEA-USA.com/Memphis.”
“We are thrilled by the excellent construction progress made to date, and believe we can complete the remaining milestones and interior build-up by mid-December,” store manager Trisha Bevering said in Wednesday’s statement. “Besides furnishing our store, we also are focused on continuing recruitment and training of all the coworkers joining the Ikea family.”
Ikea expects to employ 225 workers. Applicants can learn more on the ikea.com website, and also can apply
through the Workforce Investment Network at 480 Beale. Pay will average $41,000 with base wages starting at $11.87 per hour.
According to the retailer, the store will have 50 inspirational room settings, three model home interiors, a supervised children’s play area, a 250-seat restaurant, baby care rooms, play areas and parking for 800 vehicles.
In Midtown a renovated Kroger intended to be one of the most unusual in the region is set to open on Nov. 2.
The 54,000-square-foot Kroger is nearly twice the size of the old Kroger that was demolished on the same site at 1759 Union Ave. Sandwich, cheese, sushi and other shops within the store are meant to make the supermarket stand out and attract consumers from a wide range of the city.