Ikea opened its first smaller-format U.S. store in Queens, N.Y. this week, and at 115,000 square feet, it’s half the size of the company’s average footprint.
The store features portable home furnishing accessories “curated specifically for New Yorkers,” the company said, and customers can set up home delivery of all other products to anywhere in New York City for a flat rate fee of $49.
Professional help will be available onsite for planning kitchens, living rooms and bedrooms, the company said.
“We’re on a journey to transform our business to meet our customers wherever they are and how they like to shop. As life at home has taken on a new meaning this year for so many people, our customers’ needs and behaviors are changing too,” said Javier Quiñones, president and chief sustainability officer for Ikea Retail U.S.
The company first experimented with the smaller format, geared towards dense urban areas, in Europe, including a location in London, per Inc.
Ikea Queens is located at the Rego Center shopping mall at the corner of Queens Boulevard and Junction Boulevard, a location the company said was strategically chosen for its close proximity to bus and subway stops.
The Queens store is Ikea’s third location in New York City, joining a planning studio in Manhattan and full-size store in Brooklyn. The company also recently opened a customer fulfillment center in Staten Island to support market demand.
Ikea said that as part of its commitment to sustainability, the company has a goal of completing 100% of last-mile deliveries in New York City via electric vehicle by the end of January 2021.
Ikea operates more than 370 stores in 30 countries, including 50 stores in the United States.
