IKEA breaks ground in Memphis

IKEA has officially broken ground on its future Memphis store, continuing its expansion into the Mid-South region of the U.S. and marking its first Tennessee location.

Present at the ceremony were company representatives, Memphis Mayor A.C. Wharton, Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell, local officials and community leaders.

The 271,000-sq.-ft. location features 1,000 parking spaces and sits on 35 acres near the Germantown Parkway exit off I-40.

“This location will help bring the unique IKEA family-friendly shopping experience closer to many Memphis-area customers who currently can only shop at IKEA stores elsewhere or online,” said Lars Petersson, IKEA U.S. president. “The store also will attract new customers from throughout the Mid-South who value good design, good function and affordable prices, but have not had a chance yet to shop at IKEA.”

The new location is scheduled to open in Fall 2016 and will add approximately 500 jobs during the construction phase and 225 permanent positions when the store opens.