Hej! Furniture giant IKEA set to open University Town Center store this summer
Manatee County residents looking for home furnishings at IKEA won’t have to drive to Tampa for much longer.
The big box furniture giant announced it is opening a new 48,000-square-foot store at the University Town Center later this year. Located at 147 N. Cattleman Road, the new store will be in UTC’s West District near Golf Galaxy, DSW, REI and more.
The typical IKEA is more than 300,000 square feet. The Tampa store, for example, is 353,000 square feet and two stories.
“At IKEA, our focus is on making it easier for more people to access affordable, well-designed home furnishings,” Rob Olson, IKEA U.S. interim CEO, said in a news release. “Opening a new store in Sarasota builds on our broader efforts to meet customers where they are, including expanding our footprint in Florida last year through five new plan and order points with pick-up at select Best Buy locations across the state.”
According to the news release, the UTC location will open by late summer. The company has not announced a specific grand opening date.
IKEA announces new UTC location
The store’s showroom will feature “fully furnished room settings highlighting ‘local living’ concepts tailored to reflect the unique needs of the Sarasota community,” the news release said.
Additional highlights include:
- 5,000 products on display
- More than 3,000 curated items, accessories, lighting, textiles and more than 100 small furniture pieces
- Larger items, such as sofas, beds and the entire IKEA range can be ordered online or in-store with free pickup or affordable delivery
- One-on-one consultations at the central planning area for personalized kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and small-space design advice
- Swedish Deli with meatballs, plant balls, falafel balls, veggie dogs, cinnamon buns and more
IKEA has more than 400 stores in 32 countries, including six in Florida.
To date, the nearest location for Manatee County customers is in Tampa.
“Sarasota is a growing area with a strong sense of community, and we’re pleased to be opening a store in such a welcoming place,” IKEA Tampa market manager Laetitia Gouverneur said in a news release. “We’re committed to making it easier for local residents to experience IKEA, bringing the dream of a better home within reach for the local Sarasota community.”
Ingvar Kampard founded IKEA in 1943 at the age of 17 in Älmhult, Sweden, according to company history.
