IKEA Canada Announces Third Store on Expansion Journey in London, Ontario

Scheduled to open in fall 2019, IKEA London to be located at Highway 401 and Wellington Road

BURLINGTON, ON, Oct. 12, 2017 /CNW/ - IKEA Canada is thrilled to make the next stop on its coast to coast expansion journey, with the announcement of a full-size store in London, Ontario.

Scheduled to open in fall 2019, IKEA London will be the 15^th IKEA store in Canada. It will be located at the intersection of Highway 401 and Wellington Road, in a new retail and commercial complex. The store will take roughly 14-16 months to build once ground has been broken in late summer 2018. The new store will be 270,000 square feet. It will feature a Showroom, Market hall, a Restaurant, SMALAND children's play facility and offer customers a complete range of convenient services including home delivery, assembly, planning and exchanges.

"We know our loyal customers in the London area and beyond have been passionate supporters of the IKEA brand," said IKEA Canada President Marsha Smith. "We look forward to welcoming many more customers to the new IKEA store when it opens in fall 2019."

With the opening of the new store, IKEA Canada will have a positive contribution to the local economy through the creation of 100-150 new jobs for IKEA London, in addition to the co-workers already working at the London Pick-up and order point, and the construction jobs generated over the course of the project. IKEA Canada looks forward to welcoming these additional co-workers to join the dedicated team currently working at the London Pick-up and order point.

This is so exciting and much anticipated for many, many Londoners. I am pleased to say a full-size IKEA store will open in London in 2019," said City of London Mayor Matt Brown. "This will create jobs, growth and a regional draw to our city. London is pleased to have a community-minded partner like IKEA set up shop here."

IKEA wants to have a positive impact on people and the planet and be a partner for positive change in the local community. IKEA London will be LEED certified. With a particular focus on energy efficiency and waste avoidance. Key features of the building will include a rooftop solar photovoltaic installation, waste management equipment will be installed to maximize material recycling and diversion from landfill. Additionally, IKEA is pleased that every single light source throughout the property will use LED lighting. While the store will operate in a sustainable manner, it will also provide inspiration and solutions that will enable customers to live a more sustainable and healthier life at home. For example, visitors will find solutions that will help them reduce and sort waste, save water and energy and encourage healthier living.

IKEA aims to be the leader in life at home and offer its customers inspiring home furnishing solutions. Each new store is designed in a way that will present local home solutions that customers can relate to, are inspirational and are possible to implement in an affordable way. In order to best represent London and surrounding area customers in the new store, home visits will be conducted during the planning and design process. Home visits allow IKEA to interview people in their homes to get a deep understanding of their needs, dreams and frustrations in and around the home. It is IKEA's intention with this research not to mirror what people already have in their homes, but to help people live a better everyday life at home.

In 2015, IKEA Canada announced its ambition to double the number of stores in Canada from 12 to 24 and expand from coast to coast. The London store will be the third stop on this journey. IKEA Halifax opened on September 27^th, 2017 and IKEA Quebec City will open in late summer 2018.

ABOUT IKEA CANADA
IKEA Group is a leading home furnishing retailer with 343 stores in more than 28 countries worldwide, which are visited by 783 million people every year. IKEA Canada has 13 stores, an eCommerce virtual store, six Pick-up and order points and 13 Collection Points. The company also announced plans to open new stores in Quebec City and London, Ontario. Last year, IKEA Canada welcomed 28 million visitors to its stores and 88 million visitors to the IKEA.ca website. Founded in 1943, IKEA's business philosophy is to offer a wide range of products of good design and function at prices so low, the majority of people can afford them. For more information on IKEA Canada, please visit: www.IKEA.ca.

SOURCE IKEA Canada