IKEA Elizabeth, NJ to Undergo Significant Remodeling

Furniture World Magazine

IKEA, a leading home furnishings retailer, announced that it will implement a comprehensive renovation of its Elizabeth, N.J. store to update the shopping experience and operational efficiency. This remodel of IKEA Elizabeth will ensure that all New York and New Jersey-area stores reflect the more up-to-date display standards and layouts. Other nearby IKEA stores are in: Paramus, N.J.; Hicksville, N.Y. on Long Island; and Brooklyn, N.Y. – which opened last year. IKEA Elizabeth will remain open and operational during this remodel. From February 2009 through April 2010, the store will undergo phased implementation of a completely updated layout in all departments, representing the latest in IKEA display practices. Activity will include reconstruction of interior and partition walls, racking, path revisions, merchandising displays, re-ordering of departments, temporary detours, a short-term external warehouse, roomier customer convenience areas and refurbishing of key equipment and systems. “While we continuously refresh our inspirational room-settings and displays, this sizeable investment will allow us to make significant and structural changes throughout the store so our customers have the best IKEA experience possible,” said store manager Bob Kay. In the Showroom, room-settings and model home interiors will be refreshed and the customer path will be re-routed slightly for a more logical flow that combines some departments and relocates others. The entire accessories Marketplace will be overhauled to incorporate nearly 11,000 square feet of reallocated space, to adopt the current flow used by newer IKEA stores and to feature certain display areas more prominently. The Self-Serve area, where customers retrieve flat-packed furniture themselves, will quadruple in size and be reconfigured to offer greater accessibility to more items. To accomplish this remodel, the "Children’s IKEA" area of the Showroom and certain areas of the Marketplace will undergo several reductions and temporary relocations throughout the process. Also, the Bistro and Swedish Foodmarket are being remodeled, resulting in limited or no access to those areas during the renovation. The store’s full-serve warehouse and furniture pick-up areas will be relocated temporarily to a building across IKEA Drive, and kitchen cabinets and appliances will not be available for same-day takeaway until the remodel is complete. IKEA aims to minimize any disruption or inconvenience to customers during phases of the remodel. “We recognize this project may require flexibility by our customers, but we are confident the result will be an enhanced shopping experience at IKEA Elizabeth,” Kay added. The first large-scale IKEA project in the U.S., the 352,000-square-foot IKEA Elizabeth opened May 23, 1990 on 21 acres at exit 13A of the New Jersey Turnpike. IKEA expanded the location across from Newark Liberty Airport by 80,000 s.f. in 1998. On Saturdays and Sundays, customers may take a free shuttle bus to IKEA Elizabeth from the Port Authority Terminal in New York City, at 8th Avenue and 42nd Street. IKEA Elizabeth customers only pay 3.5% sales tax because the store is located in an urban renewal trade zone. There currently are more than 290 IKEA stores in 36 countries, including 36 in the U.S., where new stores are being planned in: Centennial, CO; Somerville, MA; and Tampa, FL. Since its 1943 founding in Sweden, IKEA has offered a wide range of home furnishings and accessories of good design and function at low prices so the majority of the people can afford them. IKEA has been ranked in FORTUNE’s annual “100 Best Companies to Work For” list (three years in a row), Working Mother magazine’s annual list of “100 Best Companies for Working Mothers” (four years in a row) and Training magazine’s annual “Top 100” ranking of companies that excel at human capital development (five years in a row). IKEA incorporates environmentally friendly and socially responsible efforts into day-to-day business, and continually supports initiatives that benefit causes such as children and the environment. For more information about IKEA, please go to www.IKEA-USA.com.