Fishers saw a step forward in the opening of IKEA come next fall with the ground-breaking held at the location Oct. 18, just southeast of 116th Street and I-69.
Joseph Roth, IKEA’s expansion and public affairs manager, said last year, 771 million people visited IKEA stores worldwide and that approximately 185,000 Indianapolis-area residents traveled to an IKEA store out of state.
“We are all excited to be here breaking ground at the future IKEA Fishers,” Roth said. “With 42 stores in the U.S., we are expanding our presences to key metropolitan areas and it is about time we finally made it to Indiana.”
The store will have a showroom with 50 fully decorated rooms, a self-serve furniture area, a Swedish food market for items such as Swedish candies, cookies, crackers and frozen meatballs, a supervised play area for children, a 325-seat Swedish restaurant, three model home interiors and more.
“Starting next fall, we don’t have to drive across state lines to find IKEA’s unique products,” Congresswoman Susan W. Brooks said. “We are so proud that IKEA has chosen Fishers as its first Hoosier home. Fishers has been transformed in recent years and is growing from a small suburban town to a thriving city focused on attracting entrepreneurs. It’s bringing residents jobs at top companies like IKEA. IKEA is recognized as one of the top 100 places to work in our country, and Fishers has been ranked nationally as one of the happiest places to live. With the addition of IKEA, I think it will make Fishers an even happier place. We look forward to showing the folks at IKEA the Hoosier hospitality.”
The first Indiana IKEA store is expected to bring 250 jobs to the Fishers area. The first U.S. IKEA store opened in Philadelphia in 1985. The Swedish retailer now has 42 stores in the U.S. and 380 stores worldwide.
“These people believe to their core that they’re here to provide customers with a unique experience,” Mayor Scott Fadness said of IKEA employees. “The city council, myself and our entire team is dedicated to providing a unique experience in our community to create a smart, vibrant, entrepreneurial city. There is a momentum that is palpable in our city. We are excited to break ground, and we will be back in the fall of ’17 to cut a ribbon and welcome our residents to the building.”
