Swedish home-furnishings giant Ikea is putting the final touches on its first Carolinas store, which opens in five weeks in the University area.
The 356,000-square-foot store will be one of the chain's largest. It will feature three model homes and 49 room vignettes, including 17 kitchens. Shoppers will be able to buy more than 10,000 exclusively designed products - from furniture to art, tableware and even food.
Ikea is known for low-priced furnishings that customers assemble at home.
But it has expanded its offerings and services in recent years. For example, complete kitchen setups can be purchased from about $1,800 to $3,800, including Ikea-branded appliances, cabinets and countertops.
Ikea now offers on-site designers to help shoppers create complete rooms, take measurements and recommend contractors to assemble the furniture. The store also can arrange home delivery.
And customers can rent vans at the store to take their purchases home.
"We've taken a product that is pretty good and made it fantastic," says Joseph Roth, Ikea spokesman.
Most of the store's 400 employees have been hired and are working to assemble the furniture and displays. The store is opening ahead of schedule on Feb. 18, anchoring a new Crescent Resources development off the newly created City Boulevard exit on Interstate 85.
Roth says it normally takes up to 13 months to open an Ikea store. The company broke ground for the Charlotte Ikea in April and expects to open within 10 months. Roth says the accessibility of the site and good weather contributed to the fast pace of construction.
Shoppers can start lining up 24 hours before the opening. Ikea openings can attract several thousand shoppers for a grand opening.
Ikea, founded in 1943, is a privately owned retailer based in Helsingborg, Sweden. Its U.S. sales in 2008 topped $3.2 billion. The chain has more than 280 stores around the world
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