As if the more than 20-year-old, 242,000-square-foot IKEA store in Burbank is not big enough, IKEA is planning to super-size an even bigger new store less than a mile from the current one.
The new IKEA would be about 470,000 square feet, nearly twice the size of the current store in Burbank. It would stock nearly 10,000 items, versus the 8,000 that the current store stocks.
IKEA released a statement Wednesday "We are thrilled with the success of IKEA Burbank, but recognize some challenges have developed over the years at our current location. Customer access, parking, loading zones and the in-store experience are not as convenient as we would prefer them to be. We believe the proposed new location represents a great opportunity to address the situation."
The new location would be on 22 acres near the 5 Freeway west of San Fernando Boulevard and south of Providencia Avenue.
IKEA officials expect the approval process for the new store could take nearly a year. If approved within that time, they say the new store could be ready for business in fall 2016. They say the project could add between 500 to 1,000 construction jobs. Burbank officials say that would be a "win-win" for the city.
"Well it is still in the proposal stage but assuming that everything goes forward and they are able to build this facility, we're looking at generally twice the size of what they have here. For the city of Burbank, that means a lot more sales tax revenue," said Drew Sugars, a spokesman for the city of Burbank.
IKEA, a Swedish company, has 330 stores worldwide. Thirty-eight of them are in the United States.
IKEA officials say the current store in Burbank will remain open until the new store is built.
