CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--IKEA, the world’s leading home furnishings retailer, today announced contractors now are hired to build its future Milwaukee-area store in Oak Creek, WI. Pending remaining permits, this milestone keeps the project on track for site work to commence, groundbreaking this summer, and a store opening next Summer, in 2018, increasing the Swedish retailer’s presence in the Midwestern U.S. Until then, customers can shop at the closest IKEA stores: Chicago-area IKEA Bolingbrook and IKEA Schaumburg, and Twin Cities-area IKEA Bloomington, MN; or online at IKEA-USA.com.
IKEA has chosen Pepper Construction to serve as Construction Manager for the IKEA Oak Creek site work and store development project. Having a strong Midwestern presence, Pepper is a full-service construction management, design/build and general contracting firm that has constructed several IKEA stores throughout the years, including ones underway in Columbus, OH and Fishers, IN. Other firms assisting with this project are: real estate brokerage CBRE for site selection support; Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren for local land use counsel; GRAEF for civil engineering; WD Partners for architecture, structural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing design; Stantec for environmental services; and GreenbergFarrow for development services.
“With contractors onboard, plans can proceed towards opening the future IKEA Oak Creek,” said Lars Petersson, IKEA U.S. president. “This Milwaukee-area store will provide a more convenient IKEA shopping experience for current and potential customers throughout Wisconsin, complementing our growing Midwestern U.S. presence.”
The future IKEA Oak Creek will feature nearly 10,000 exclusively designed items, 50 inspirational room-settings, three model home interiors, a supervised children’s play area, and a 300-seat restaurant serving Swedish specialties such as meatballs with lingonberries and salmon plates, as well as American dishes. Other family-friendly features include a ‘Children’s IKEA’ area in the Showroom, baby care rooms, play areas throughout the store, and preferring parking. In addition to the more than 500 jobs that are expected during the construction phase, approximately 250 coworkers will join the IKEA family when the new store opens. IKEA Oak Creek also will provide significant annual sales and property tax revenue for local governments and schools.
Located approximately 12 miles south of downtown Milwaukee, the 291,000-square-foot future IKEA Oak Creek and its approximately 1,000 parking spaces will be built on 29 acres near the northwestern corner of Interstate 94 and Drexel Avenue. Store plans reflect the same unique architectural design for which IKEA stores are known worldwide. IKEA also is evaluating potential on-site power generation to complement its current U.S. renewable energy presence at nearly 90% of its U.S. locations.
Since its 1943 founding in Sweden, IKEA has offered home furnishings of good design and function at low prices so the majority of people can afford them. There are currently more than 390 IKEA stores in 48 countries, including 43 in the U.S. IKEA has been included in rankings of “Best Companies to Work For” and, as further investment in its coworkers, has raised its own minimum wage twice in two years. IKEA incorporates sustainability into day-to-day business and supports initiatives that benefit children and the environment. For more information see IKEA-USA.com, @IKEAUSA, @IKEAUSANews, or IKEAUSA on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Pinterest.
