Will IKEA Winnipeg be another IKEA Dublin – Doomed?
Amid all the public excitement over Ikea’s Winnipeg plan is a danger that those high expectations have so far to fall.
Considering this city’s record on infrastructure renewal and paving the way for development, that risk is very real. The international home furnishings retail giant’s arrival here is certainly not a done deal, as long as more than $20 million in street expansions and traffic signal improvements are necessary for the chain to open its proposed 350,000-square-foot outlet within three years. Read more…
In the News, Store Openings
IKEA Canada, IKEA Grand Opening, IKEA Store Opening, IKEA Winnipeg
IKEA Canada Announces IKEA Winnipeg to be Opened between 2011 and 2013 near Kenaston Boulevard and Sterling Lyon Parkway.
Although many furniture retailers in Winnipeg have been forced to close their doors, IKEA Canada has announced that it plans to open an IKEA in Winnipeg sometime between late 2011 and early 2013.
The affordable home furnishings retailer has signed an agreement to acquire a large piece of land at Kenaston Boulevard and Sterling Lyon Parkway, formerly part of the CN Intermodal Terminal.
However, the future of an IKEA in Winnipeg is conditional upon Municipal and Provincial government approvals. In order to move into their planned location, they must first rezone and redevelop the land. Read more…
Store Openings
IKEA Canada, IKEA Grand Opening, IKEA Store Opening, IKEA Winnipeg
Sweden-based furniture chain Ikea is expected to announce today that it is planning to set up shop in Winnipeg.
A source, who asked not to be identified, confirmed Ikea is set to announce “something big” today involving a possible location for the store at Kenaston Boulevard and Sterling Lyon Parkway.
Rumours about the retail furnishings chain coming to the city have popped up a number of times in recent years. In late November, Ikea Canada said it was “looking at Winnipeg in a very serious manner”.
“We are taking a very serious look at the market and there is a specific piece of land we’re interested in,” spokeswoman Madeleine Lowenborg-Frick said at the time.
She could not be reached for comment yesterday.
Last month, she refused to identify the site and said there was “no immediate plan” for a store in Winnipeg. At the time, Premier Gary Doer confirmed the province had spoken with Ikea representatives.
Another source said approximately 20 City of Winnipeg employees are bound by non-disclosure agreements not to discuss Ikea’s plans for the city. Read more…
Store Openings
IKEA Canada, IKEA Grand Opening, IKEA Store Opening, IKEA Winnipeg
