NORFOLK — Swedish home furnishings retailer IKEA announced Tuesday morning its Hampton Roads location originally set to open in mid-2018 has been delayed.
IKEA has hired contractors for its Norfolk store and a groundbreaking is projected for later this fall, according to a press release.
The next-closest IKEA store for area shoppers will remain about a three-hour drive away in Woodbridge until spring 2019.
“With contractors onboard, plans can proceed towards opening the future IKEA Norfolk,” said Lars Petersson, IKEA U.S. president, in a press release.
Leading the way for store development is a Memphis-based contractor, Linkous Construction Company. The company has worked on several projects in the past including IKEA’s Memphis location, which opened in December.
The 338,000-square-foot facility on 19 acres will be at the northwestern corner of I-64 and Northampton Boulevard.
IKEA says the construction process will employ more than 500 workers and once the store opens, around 250 positions will be filled.
The Norfolk location will feature around 10,000 exclusively designed items, a children’s play area and a restaurant serving Swedish specialties, including meatballs.
In November, city council unanimously approved an additional $500,000 in funding for “unanticipated development costs,” bringing the city’s total contribution to $5.5 million.
